Assessing population substructure in the Lebanese population: A population study using data on 23 autosomal short tandem repeats

BACKGROUND: Understanding the genetic substructure of a population is essential for proper forensic genetic analysis. The Lebanese population has a high rate of endogamous and consanguineous marriages and is segregated based on religious belongings. However, no genetic population studies have been performed up to date to estimate the degree of genetic substructure and inbreeding coefficients. METHODS: The present study analyzed a compendium of 23 autosomal STRs typed in 1400 individuals belonging to the seven major Lebanese religious subcommunities. Inbreeding coefficients such as F statistics were estimated. RESULTS: Results showed a Fst (theta) value of 0.002, indicating a low genetic subdivision within the Lebanese population. CONCLUSION: This study aimed at assessing the genetic substructure of the Lebanese population by analyzing 1400 Lebanese citizens' samples using 23 STR markers. F statistics were computed to evaluate the degree of genetic substructure. Results showed a Fst value of 0.002, indicating a low genetic subdivision within the Lebanese population.