ABSTRACT
The genetic markers typed in most forensic biology laboratories are autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) from the nuclei of cells, Y chromosome STRs and mitochondrial DNA. Y chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-STR) and mitochondrial DNA typing use different techniques to nuclear DNA profiling, and the derivation of the statistical significance is different. The techniques are less discriminatory than nuclear DNA profiling due to the way the different types are inherited – either down the maternal line (mitochondrial) or the paternal line (Y-STR).
