关于法庭科学DNA数据库若干问题的探讨

本文论述常染色体STR基因座的选取和数量对数据库直接匹配、亲缘关系检索、失踪人员检索等数据库检索应用可能带来的影响,指出大容量DNA数据库在应用中可能出现的问题,并讨论应用数据库时需要考虑的群体和群体内差异,以及Y染色体和线粒体DNA对数据库检索的辅助作用。旨在为今后建设和完善具有中国特色的大容量DNA数据库提供参考和帮助。     

国家法庭科学DNA数据库建设势在必行

列举实例论述了建立国家DNA数据库的重要性,并对数据库建设可能面临的重要问题进行了探讨。     

Use of DNA profiles for investigation using a simulated national DNA database: Part II. Statistical and ethical considerations on familial searching

Familial searching consists of searching for a full profile left at a crime scene in a National DNA Database (NDNAD). In this paper we are interested in the circumstance where no full match is returned, but a partial match is found between a database member's profile and the crime stain. Because close relatives share more of their DNA than unrelated persons, this partial match may indicate that the crime stain was left by a close relative of the person with whom the partial match was found. This approach has successfully solved important crimes in the UK and the USA. In a previous paper, a model, which takes into account substructure and siblings, was used to simulate a NDNAD [1]. In this paper, we have used this model to test the usefulness of familial searching and offer guidelines for pre-assessment of the cases based on the likelihood ratio. Siblings of “persons” present in the simulated Swiss NDNAD were created. These profiles (N = 10,000) were used as traces and were then compared to the whole database (N = 100,000). The statistical results obtained show that the technique has great potential confirming the findings of previous studies. However, effectiveness of the technique is only one part of the story. Familial searching has juridical and ethical aspects that should not be ignored. In Switzerland for example, there are no specific guidelines to the legality or otherwise of familial searching. This article both presents statistical results, and addresses criminological and civil liberties aspects to take into account risks and benefits of familial searching.     

中国DNA数据库建设应用技术现状及发展趋势

中国的法庭科学DNA数据库建设历经10年,在应用中取得了显著成果.随着DNA分析技术的进步,DNA数据库更加完善,DNA信息作用更加突显.本文综述了中国DNA数据库的规划与建设,DNA数据库建设中的应用技术,以及DNA数据库建设应用技术发展趋势,为完善DNA数据库建设提供借鉴.     

天津市法医DNA数据库的应用与发展

建立的天津市法医DNA数据库系统 ,将DNA分析技术的高效性与计算机系统的储存、高效检索的功能有机结合 ,实现了从受案到结案及建库的全程标准化、规范化、网络化管理。该系统启用一年多以来 ,为本地区侦查机关提供了百余起案件的破案线索 ,在多起重特大刑事案件的串并侦破中发挥了关键作用 ,技术破案率明显提高     

“中国罪犯DNA数据库“模式库:13个STR位点基因在中国人群中的分布

目的:对D3S1358、vWA、FGA、D8S1179、D21S11、D18S51、D5S818、D13S317、D16S539、THO1、TPOX、CSF1PO、D7S820等13个STR位点进行多态性调查,探索其用于"罪犯DNA数据库"的可行性.方法:用多重PCR和四色荧光自动化检测技术分析13个STR位点的基因型,计算各位点等位基因的分布频率.结果:获得13个STR位点在中国南北汉族、维吾尔族、回族人群中的等位基因分布频率资料.结论:上述位点适合作为中国人群的遗传学标志,用于"中国罪犯DNA数据库"的建立.     

DNA Typer~(TM)15 plus直扩试剂盒在DNA数据库建设中的应用

目的测试DNA TyperTM15 plus直扩试剂盒的技术性能指标,评价其在DNA数据库建设中的应用价值。方法采用DNA TyperTM15 plus试剂盒,并使用IdentifilerTM和DNA TyperTM15试剂盒进行比较,设定不同体系和引物量、不同退火温度和循环次数以进行方法验证;设定不同模板量标准品、不同比例混合样本,取猪、狗、兔等动物的血液样品,血痕、骨骼、唾液斑等常见检材样本以及不同建库样本,以验证试剂盒灵敏度、特异性、稳定性以及混合样本、常见检材及建库样本的检测能力。结果直扩试剂盒分型结果准确,重复性好,灵敏度可达0.125ng,不同批次间试剂检测结果稳定,对不同检材有很好的适应性。10μL扩增体系时FTA卡和加强型血液采集卡取样直径应为0.5mm,而血滤纸、血液采集卡样本和经典型血液采集卡取样直径应为1.0mm。结论 DNA TyperTM15 plus直扩试剂盒的性能可以满足DNA数据库建设及检案的需要,可在相关实验中选择使用。     

Reuniting families: an online database to aid in the identification of undocumented immigrant remains

The Reuniting Families project attempts to aid federal, state and local agencies currently working towards the identification of deceased undocumented immigrants. This initiative has created a distributed on-line database, accessible by public officials and private citizens interested in searching for missing individuals based on both phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. This broad effort includes the exhumation of individuals from geographically disparate pauper graves, the classification of their physical characteristics, and the cataloging of observed metric traits in a local relational database, to include associated articles of possession and related metadata. Concurrent with the documentation of physical forensic evidence is the analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences. Computational techniques and scoring parameters are applied to automate the process of discovery and identification as well at to preserve information on the missing. The result is a prototype knowledge base that may serve as a model for future efforts in international forensic science collaborations.     

中国“罪犯DNA数据库”STR基因座研究

选择合适的 STR基因座 ,建立中国“罪犯 DNA数据库”模式库。以 2 2 11名汉族、15 0名维吾尔族、10 4名回族群体为分析对象 ,提取罪犯血样 DNA,用复合 PCR和四色荧光技术检测了 D3S135 8、v WA、FGA、D8S1179、D2 1S11、D18S5 1、D5 S818、D13S317、D16 S5 39、TH0 1、TPOX、CSF1PO、D7S82 0等 13个 STR基因座及性别 Amelogenin基因座。在 13个 STR基因座中 ,除 TH0 1、TPOX基因座外 ,其余各基因座的个体鉴别能力 (DP)值均接近 0 .9,杂合度(H)均大于 0 .7,排除概率 (PE)大都在 0 .5以上 ,其中 FGA、D8S1179、D2 1S11和 D18S5 1基因座 DP≥ 0 .95 ,H≥ 0 .85 ,PE≥ 0 .6 5 ,表明它们在法医学上极有应用价值。TH0 1和 TPOX在多态性方面较差 (H分别为 0 .6 430和 0 .6 2 96 ,PE分别为0 .40 46和 0 .370 1) ,但也符合应用于法医学的要求。13个基因座的平均偶合率为 5× 10 - 1 5 ～ 1.2× l0 - 1 4 ,适合作为中国人群的遗传学标志 ,用于建立中国“罪犯 DNA数据库”     

DNA数据库建设中批量样本直接扩增检验法的应用

目的研究批量样本直接扩增法在DNA数据库建设中的应用。方法打孔机打取血滤纸600份,剪取芝麻大小的口腔拭子300份,放入96孔扩增板,加入扩增试剂后直接扩增,并对其中200份血滤纸用磁珠法,100份口腔拭子用96孔板Chelex-100法,经DNA提取后扩增检验进行比较。结果血滤纸采用直接扩增法及磁珠法STR检测成功率均为100%;口腔拭子采用直接扩增法的成功率为95%,采用96孔板Chelex-100法的成功率为94%。结论血滤纸和口腔拭子通过直接扩增均能获得很好的DNA分型结果,该方法省时省力,可用于DNA数据库建设。     

GoldeneyeTM 20A-M试剂盒在数据库建设中的应用

目的 研究GoldeneyeTM 20A-M试剂盒在DNA数据库建设中的应用.方法 针对血滤纸特性,优化不同条件血痕样品的取样量、扩增循环次数,缩短PCR扩增时间,以建立适合批量样品直接快速扩增检验的方法,并将其应用于1 200份数据库样品的检验中.结果 确定了批量样本检验的最适取样量和扩增循环次数,建立了快速扩增反应程序,1 200份样品的直接快速扩增检验成功率为98.4％,批量检验92份样品(1板)从取样到电泳完成只需6h.结论 GoldeneyeTM 20A-M试剂盒的应用,免去DNA提取过程,方法简单、快速、获得信息量大,适用于DNA数据库建设的需要.     

The collation of forensic DNA case data into a multi-dimensional intelligence database

The primary aim of any DNA Database is to link individuals to unsolved offenses and unsolved offenses to each other via DNA profiling. This aim has been successfully realised during the operation of the New Zealand (NZ) DNA Databank over the past five years. The DNA Intelligence Project (DIP), a collaborative project involving NZ forensic and law enforcement agencies, interrogated the forensic case data held on the NZ DNA databank and collated it into a functional intelligence database. This database has been used to identify significant trends which direct Police and forensic personnel towards the most appropriate use of DNA technology. Intelligence is being provided in areas such as the level of usage of DNA techniques in criminal investigation, the relative success of crime scene samples and the geographical distribution of crimes. The DIP has broadened the dimensions of the information offered through the NZ DNA Databank and has furthered the understanding and investigative capability of both Police and forensic scientists. The outcomes of this research fit soundly with the current policies of 'intelligence led policing', which are being adopted by Police jurisdictions locally and overseas.     

Choosing relatives for DNA identification of missing persons

DNA-based analysis is integral to missing person identification cases. When direct references are not available, indirect relative references can be used to identify missing persons by kinship analysis. Generally, more reference relatives render greater accuracy of identification. However, it is costly to type multiple references. Thus, at times, decisions may need to be made on which relatives to type. In this study, pedigrees for 37 common reference scenarios with 13 CODIS STRs were simulated to rank the information content of different combinations of relatives. The results confirm that first-order relatives (parents and fullsibs) are the most preferred relatives to identify missing persons; fullsibs are also informative. Less genetic dependence between references provides a higher on average likelihood ratio. Distant relatives may not be helpful solely by autosomal markers. But lineage-based Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA markers can increase the likelihood ratio or serve as filters to exclude putative relationships.     

Confidence interval of the likelihood ratio associated with mixed stain DNA evidence

Likelihood ratios are necessary to properly interpret mixed stain DNA evidence. They can flexibly consider alternate hypotheses and can account for population substructure. The likelihood ratio should be seen as an estimate and not a fixed value, because the calculations are functions of allelic frequency estimates that were estimated from a small portion of the population. Current methods do not account for uncertainty in the likelihood ratio estimates and are therefore an incomplete picture of the strength of the evidence. We propose the use of a confidence interval to report the consequent variation of likelihood ratios. The confidence interval is calculated using the standard forensic likelihood ratio formulae and a variance estimate derived using the Taylor expansion. The formula is explained, and a computer program has been made available. Numeric work shows that the evidential strength of DNA profiles decreases as the variation among populations increases.     

Applicability of DNA analysis on adhesive tape in forensic casework

Adhesive tape is commonly used in crimes and is often the subject of forensic evaluation. DNA analysis of adhesive tape can provide DNA profiles of suspects. The object of this study was to evaluate the applicability of DNA analysis on adhesive tape samples in forensic casework. We retrospectively reviewed all cases involving adhesive tape or similar items received by our institute for DNA analysis during the past 11 years. From 100 forensic cases reviewed, 150 adhesive tape samples were examined. A total of 98 DNA profiles were obtained from these samples. Sixty-two of the profiles provided feasible case-relevant information. In conclusion, DNA profiling of adhesive tape samples can be useful in a variety of forensic cases.     

A search for obligatory paternal alleles in a DNA database to find an alleged rapist in a fatherless paternity case

Abstract: A sexual assault case resulted in a pregnancy, which was subsequently aborted. The alleged father of the fetus was unknown. Maternal and fetal types were obtained using the 11‐locus AmpF?STR^® SGM Plus^® kit. The national DNA database was searched for the paternal obligatory alleles and detected two suspects who could not be excluded as father of the male fetus. Additional typing using the AmpF?STR^® Minifiler^? kit, containing three additional autosomal loci, was not sufficient to exclude either suspect. Subsequent typing using the PowerPlex^® 16, containing four additional loci, and Y‐Filer^? kits resulted in excluding one suspect. Searching a database for paternal obligatory alleles can be fruitful, but is fraught with possible false positive results so that finding a match must be taken as only preliminary evidence.     

Development of a human-specific real-time PCR assay for the simultaneous quantitation of total genomic and male DNA

A duplex real-time quantitative PCR assay was developed for forensic DNA analysis, which provides simultaneous quantitation of total genomic human DNA and human male DNA. The assay utilizes two spectrally resolved fluorogenic probes in a 5' nuclease (TaqMantrade mark) assay. Within the range of organisms empirically tested and based upon theoretical specificity using National Center for Biotechnology Information GenBank sequences, primer and probe sequences were shown to be human specific, and the Y-chromosome probe, male-specific. A mixture-challenge study resulted in accurate quantitation of 25 pg male DNA in a mixture of up to 1:5000 (male:female DNA). Additional experimental results include comparisons with the slot blot method and commercial real-time PCR kits. The assay developed addresses the shortcomings of the traditional slot blot method as well as the commercial real-time PCR kits. This method is shown to be specific, relatively simple, rapid, has low limits of detection, and consumes limited sample in addition to reporting both the male and total genomic DNA concentrations present.     

Haplotypic blocks of X-linked STRs for forensic cases: study of recombination and mutation rates

In complex kinship cases, markers situated in haplotypic blocks may provide additional clues to other unlinked markers. We have established a protocol to amplify six X-chromosome microsatellites, located in two haplotype blocks, using PCR with fluorochrome-labeled primers and capillary electrophoresis. The segregation stability was explored in 92 unrelated families with individuals from three generations. Sixty-one different haplotypes were found in the DXS10079-DXS10074-DXS10075 block in the grandfathers and 96 in the mothers, with estimated haplotype diversities of 0.9828 and 0.9842, respectively. Fifty and 73 different haplotypes were found in the DXS6801-DXS6809-DXS6789 block in the grandfathers and the mothers, with estimated haplotype diversities of 0.9711 and 0.9742, respectively. We observed 10 between-cluster and one within-cluster recombinations in 99 female meioses. The overall per-locus mutation rate was 0.0034. This protocol allows for the characterization of the alleles of two sets of linked markers of the X-chromosome that can be useful in complex forensic cases.