Tetranucleotide short tandem repeat polymorphisms and their possible mode of origin

An analysis of three autosomal, one X-chromosomal, and one Y-chromosomal tetranucleotide short tandem repeat loci in a large southern German population sample (including family studies) and in several nonhuman primate species revealed remarkable similarities in structure of already known and some newly detected alleles and in allele frequency distributions. These similarities, which are briefly discussed, can best be explained by transspecific evolution, followed by gene-conversion-like mutational events.