Anthropogenetic study of the Arabic - speaking population of Chaouia Ouardigha (Morocco) based on autosomal STRs

Abstract

The Chaouia - Ouradigha is a historical and ethno-geographic region of Morocco. Despite its historical relevance, this region has not received sufficient attention in terms of population genetic exploration. The present study aims to provide new data on the genetic background of the Chaouia-Ouardigha population, the Arabic-speaking North African population in the western center of Morocco, and to examine the relationship between this population and other reference populations based on our dataset as well as previously published population data. Genetic exploration will enable the reconstruction of past gene flows that have influenced the genetic makeup of this particular population. We utilized the Investigator® IDplex Plus PCR amplification kit (Qiagen, Germany) to establish the allelic frequencies and forensic statistical parameters of 15 autosomal Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) included in the kit in 153 random healthy unrelated individuals from the Chaouia-Ourdigha region. The Chaouia-Ouardigha population, which speaks Arabic, exhibits a high degree of genetic diversity with heterozygosity values ranging from 0.670 to 0.879. The loci with the highest allele frequencies, namely D7S820 and TPOX, have the lowest heterozygosity values (0.670 and 0.672, respectively), resulting in lower exclusion power (PE) and typical relatedness index (TPI) values (PE = 0.427 and TPI = 1.66 for TPOX; PE = 0.442 and TPI = 1.72 for D7S820). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Arabic-speaking population of Chaouia-Ouardigha was found to be distinct from Sub-Saharan, East Asian, and Latin American populations. Our study provides insights into the genetic connections of the Chaouia Ouardigha population, highlighting how historical events, socio-cultural influences, and geographical proximity have contributed to shaping their genetic structure. It demonstrates the substantial impact of historical events and geographical closeness in fostering affinities between the Chaouia Ouardigha community and neighboring populations in North Africa, Southern Europe, and the Middle East. Additionally, the study has generated valuable data confirming the effectiveness of these 15 genetic markers for forensic applications across the broader population.