Structural Variations of Alu Elements in the Kuwaiti Population: Laying the Foundations for Forensic Medicine

BACKGROUND: The genetic structure of the Kuwaiti population using Alu insertion variants has not been previously investigated. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the allele and genotype frequencies of 100 Alu insertion variants in the Kuwaiti population, determine their genetic structure in relation to global populations and evaluate the utility of these markers for inferring geographic ancestry. METHODS: DNA was extracted from whole blood samples of 500 unrelated native Kuwaiti citizens across all six governorates. One hundred known Alu elements were amplified via PCR and analysed using gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: The mean frequency of the 100 Alu insertions in Kuwaitis was 0.536, showing closer affinity to Eurasian and Indian populations than to sub-Saharan African populations. Analysis of the six Kuwaiti governorates revealed no genetic substructure, suggesting a single genetic cluster. PCA demonstrated that Kuwaitis cluster with geographically adjacent populations, specifically Bahrainis and southern Iranians. Notably, four Alu elements (HS4.32, Ya5NBC120, Yb8NBC106 and Yb8NBC516) were identified as potential markers to distinguish Kuwaitis from other populations. CONCLUSION: The findings confirm existing global data indicating that the use of Alu elements is a crucial tool for population genetic research, given their unique properties that are generally unavailable for other markers.