DYS Nomenclature
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DYS Numbering Scheme For STR Systems

The acronym DYS simply means ....

D = DNA
Y = Y-chromosome
S = (unique) segment

The DYS numbering scheme (e.g. DYS388, DYS390, etc), for the Y-STR haplotype loci, is controlled by the Human Gene Nomenclature Committee, a part of The Human Genome Organization (HUGO), based at University College, London.

The Genome Database ( GDB ) is the source of D-numbers. Validation is automated and D-numbers are assigned to markers submitted by researchers that have been mapped to cytogenetic locations and entered under their original names into the GDB database. All entries can be held private pending publication.

The quickest way to view all genomic segments in the GDB database with DYS-numbers is to query for DYS* ("*" is the wildcard character for anything) with the Simple Search on GDB's homepage at the following link.

http://www.gdb.org

There are literally hundreds of STR systems, some with the DYS nomenclature and others without, which have been mapped throughout the human genome.   Several dozen have been investigated for their application to human identity testing, with some more discriminatory than others.

As you have found with the academic and commercial laboratories, some of their STR systems markers or loci have DYS numbers assigned and others are proprietary until they have been reviewed and published.