Practice question

Short Tandem Repeats exhibit 1-6 bp repeat units with high mutation rates due to strand slippage, creating many alleles per locus and high heterozygosity. This hypervariability, combined with codominant inheritance, low DNA requirement, and amenability to multiplex PCR, makes them exceptionally discriminating for individual identification. Forensic genetics, paternity testing and kinship analysis rely on standardized STR panels such as CODIS loci. STRs are not primary tools for DNA synthesis, sequencing chemistry or protein expression; their power lies in resolving identity and relatedness through polymorphic length variation.