STR Profile
Definition
Short tandem repeat profile: the numerical representation of repeated DNA sequences at a defined set of loci, used to generate a forensic match statistic. Profiles contain no information about physical traits or health from the loci used forensically.
- Marker type
- Short tandem repeat
- Output
- Numerical repeat counts per locus
- Phenotype data
- None from forensic loci
- Use
- Identity comparison and database search
Common questions
Why can't an STR profile reveal appearance or health?+
The loci chosen for forensic panels sit in non-coding regions selected for variability, not for linkage to genes controlling traits or disease, so the profile carries no phenotype information even though it reliably distinguishes individuals.
How is a match statistic generated from the profile?+
Allele frequencies at each locus, drawn from population databases, are combined across the profile's loci to calculate the random match probability, the figure quoted in court as the statistical weight of a comparison.
Related terms
- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 (BSA)
- India’s evidence statute operative from 1 July 2024, with savings for specified existing proceedings. Section 39 concerns expert opinion, section 45 its...
- CODIS
- CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System, is the FBI’s programme and software for comparing eligible DNA profiles through local, state and national...
- Cold Hit
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- Familial Searching
- The deliberate use of partial DNA profile matches in a forensic database to identify biological relatives of an unknown contributor, on the...
- Proportionality
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