How do STR alleles differ?
Then, what are STR alleles?
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are repeated segments of DNA that are typically 2-6 base pairs in length. At each of the tested genetic sites, one STR allele comes from the mother and the other STR allele comes from the father.
Also to know, how are STR alleles detected?
These STR loci (locations on a chromosome) are targeted with sequence-specific primers and amplified using PCR. The DNA fragments that result are then separated and detected using electrophoresis. There are two common methods of separation and detection, capillary electrophoresis (CE) and gel electrophoresis.
The STR locus is named as, for example, D3S1266, where D represents DNA, 3 means chromosome 3 on which the STR locus locates, S stands for STR, and 1266 is the unique identifier. The most common STRs in the human genome are dinucleotide repeats (5).