Abstract: Objective To explore the features of genetic differentiation and gene flow of ten minorities in Yunnan province according to nine CODIS short tandem repeat（STR） loci （CSF1PO, FGA, TH01, TPOX, vWA, D3S1358, D5S818, D7S820 and D13S317）. Methods Heterozygosity and parameters of population differentiation such as F, θ, f and Gst at each locus were calculated. DA genetic distance and fixation index Fst were calculated by Phylip 3.6 and Arlequin 3.0 software, respectively. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by Mega 3.0, and the patterns of gene flow were analyzed by R-matrix model. Results It showed that average genetic heterogeneity in ten minorities was above 0.7. Significant difference was found for most of the loci in genetic differentiation. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the ten minorities were divided into two clusters. The results of the R-matrix analysis showed that the gene flow of Yi and Dai minorities were higher than that of other minorities, while the pattern of gene flow of Dulong minority demonstrated some of the isolation. Conclusion Nine STR loci commonly used in forensic identification show a high polymorphism. Heterozygosity can be used for investigating genetic differentiation and gene flow of minority. The ten minorities in Yunnan are independent populations, while the level of differentiation is not high. The relationship in evolution is not far from each other and shows a widely gene flow among the minorities.

Key words: forensic genetics, polymorphism, genetic, genetic differentiation, gene flow, minority groups, yunnan