Abstract: D17S30 is a highly polymorphic variable number of tandem repeats ( VNTR) locus with repeat unit being a segment of 70bp, which is located on human chromosome 17p13. 3. Using a miniature and rapid amplified fragment length polymorphism ( Amp- FLP) technique reported by this paper 's authors, we typed the D17S30 loci in 100 northern Chinese Hans from Harbin and 110 southern Chinese Hans from Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai areas, and discovered that there is no significant difference of D17S30 allele frequencies between northern and southern Hans with A1 and A7 having frequencies higher in northerners and lower in southerners, and with A4 vice versa suggesting differentiation between northern and southern Chinese Hans. The observed h eterozygosity , power of discrimination and polymorphism information content of the D17S30 locus are 0. 88, 0. 97 and 0. 86 respectively for both northern and southern Hans. The results obstained indicate that analysis of D17S30 locus polymorphism with the miniature and rapid Amp- FLP technique has higher sensitivity and accuracy and can be used as an efficient genetic markers in the studies of ethnic evolution, individual recognition and paternity test in forensic diagnosis, and linkage analysis of genetic disease genes.

Key words: D17S30 locus, Miniature and rapid Amp-FLP, VNTR