Y-chromosomal haplotype diversity for 27 STR loci in the Tigray population (Northern Ethiopia)

The Horn of Africa is among the main areas of origin of migrants trying to reach Europe through the so-called central Mediterranean route (from Libya to Sicily). Migration-related accidents in the Straits of Sicily are commonplace. In such circumstances, Y-STR analysis can effectively complement autosomal STR data in the identification of shipwreck victims and help reuniting families separated during the crossing. To expand currently available Y-STR haplotype reference data for Eastern Africa, the AmpFlSTR YFiler Plus PCR Amplification kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific) was used to analyze samples from 247 Ethiopian Tigray volunteer donors. The Tigray ethno-linguistic group represents over 95% of the population in the Regional state of Tigray (Northern Ethiopia), and accounts for ∼50% of the population in neighboring Eritrea. The results obtained were compared with those available for other Eastern African ethno-linguistic groups and neighbor populations from Northern Africa and the Middle East.