| Research Abstract |
A haplotype can be more polymorphic than an allotype, and therefore its usefulness in forensic investigations has been examined. Two tetrameric repeat loci, vWF-k and vWF-p, were chosen as a haplotype probe, which are located within approximately 700 bp of intron 40 of the von Willebrand factor gene. Previously, we determined their polymorphisms by PCR for DNA obtained from a total of 57 families and the haplotypes were constructed on the basis of the family data. No significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium could not be found in the 116 unrelated Japanese samples.
In the present study, the vWF-k/vWF-p haplotype was determined in another 26 families and the data was added to previous one. From 169 unrelated individuals included in the 83 families combined, 32 haplotypes and 97 genotypes were identified (χィイD12ィエD1 : 573, df : 496, p : 0.009). Its heterozygosity and polymorphism information content were 0.947 and 0.921, respectively. The distribution has not fitted Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium yet. However, 3 of 32 haplotypes and 20 of 97 genotypes were newly detected and the two STR haplotype showed to be highly polymorphic. This indicates the value of the haplotype analysish in personal discrimination, especially in cases where there is family information.
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