On 2016 Mar 20, Amanda Capes-Davis commented:

STR loci used in today's STR profiling kits come from multiple chromosomes, and the technique can generate a full STR profile even in the presence of microsatellite instability. So I find the absence of STR loci in these profiles from CABA I puzzling.

Some additional testing is needed to further explore these findings.

1) It is important to perform separate species testing to confirm that CABA I is of human origin. STR profiling is typically considered species-specific, however, it has been clearly documented that related species can be detected. This has been documented previously by Almeida et al (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22059503), Ren et al (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22206866), and others. STR profiles generated from non-human species can produce patterns similar to those seen here.

2) Human cell line STR profiles have clearly defined quality criteria, including some requirements that are unique to cell lines (see ANSI/ATCC ASN-0002-2011 Authentication of Human Cell Lines: Standardization of STR Profiling). To my eye, the electropherograms seen here do not meet all quality criteria. It would be helpful to see other cell lines used as positive controls alongside CABA I data, to demonstrate adherence to quality criteria, in addition to the "typical male" and "typical female" results shown here.

On 2016 Mar 20, Amanda Capes-Davis commented:

STR loci used in today's STR profiling kits come from multiple chromosomes, and the technique can generate a full STR profile even in the presence of microsatellite instability. So I find the absence of STR loci in these profiles from CABA I puzzling.

Some additional testing is needed to further explore these findings.

1) It is important to perform separate species testing to confirm that CABA I is of human origin. STR profiling is typically considered species-specific, however, it has been clearly documented that related species can be detected. This has been documented previously by Almeida et al (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22059503), Ren et al (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22206866), and others. STR profiles generated from non-human species can produce patterns similar to those seen here.

2) Human cell line STR profiles have clearly defined quality criteria, including some requirements that are unique to cell lines (see ANSI/ATCC ASN-0002-2011 Authentication of Human Cell Lines: Standardization of STR Profiling). To my eye, the electropherograms seen here do not meet all quality criteria. It would be helpful to see other cell lines used as positive controls alongside CABA I data, to demonstrate adherence to quality criteria, in addition to the "typical male" and "typical female" results shown here.