Development and forensic validation of a new multiplex PCR assay with 12 X-chromosomal short tandem repeats

One multiplex system for the co-amplification of 12 X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) DXS7132, DXS8378, DXS6809, DXS7133, DXS6789, DXS7424, GATA172D05, HPRTB, DXS7423, GATA31E08, DXS101, DXS6807 and amelogenin was analysed in a sample of 200 (100 males and 100 females) unrelated healthy individuals living in Northern Italy. The χ2-test for genotype distribution of the X-chromosomal STRs showed no significant deviation from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). Allele frequencies between female and male samples were not significantly different in all examined markers. In the kinship cases involving 40 family trios with daughter and 10 father/daughter duos, no mutation was detected. The combined power of discrimination (PDc) of the 12 X-STRs for both females and males was PDc > 0.999999.