Genetic variation of 17 autosomal STR loci in the Dong ethnic minority from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, South China.

A total of 17 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci were amplified with the PowerPlex 18D System from 3244 unrelated healthy individuals of Dong ethnic minority living in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, South China. Moreover, genetic distances between Dong and 12 published populations were compared, and a neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogenetic tree was developed using averaged F matrix and visualized. Results are generally in accordance with the geographical and linguistic distribution of studied populations and their historical relationships with Guangxi Dong.