Comparison of STR Typing Results from Several Centers for the Same Samples: Steps to Standardization for STR Typing.

Korean J Leg Med. 2001 May;25(1):8-16. Korean.

Department of Forensic Medicine, Chonnam University.

Department of Forensic Medicine, Yonsei Univeristy.

Department of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University.

Department of Forensic Medicine, Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office.

Department of Forensic Medicine, I.D. Gene.

Department of Forensic Medicine, National Institute of Scientific Investigation.

This paper described a collaborative exercise intended to see what kinds of short tandem repeat (STR) loci are used in different DNA typing laboratories in Korea and to compare their results for the demonstration whether uniformity of DNA profiling results from different laboratory could be achieved in Korea. Laboratories were asked to test five tissue DNAs using methods routinely used in each laboratory and to report the results to the coordinating laboratory. The exercise demonstrated that each laboratory was using different STR loci for the typing with different STR numbers, 2 VNTRs, 36 STRs and amelogenin in total, and the direct comparison of the results from all the laboratory for the 18 loci could not be done as only one laboratory submitted typing results. Among 21 loci for which several laboratories submitted typing results, results for 14 loci were the same and results for the other 7 loci were different depending on the participating laboratory. D1S80, F13A01, D16S539, D21S11, D18S51, D3S1744 were the loci with different typing results. Even in the cases where commercial kits were used, the results were not the same depending on the machines used, that is the capillary electrophoresis or the gel based electrophoresis. The reason for the different results, points about the standardization of the methods and the profiling data were described.

Key words: collaborative , STR, Korea, standardization, profiling