DNA Profiling Success Rates from Degraded Skeletal Remains in Guatemala

No data are available regarding the success of DNA Short Tandem Repeat (STR) profiling from degraded skeletal remains in Guatemala. Therefore, DNA profiling success rates relating to 2595 skeletons from eleven cases at the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala (FAFG) are presented. The typical postmortem interval was 30 years. DNA was extracted from bone powder and amplified using Identifiler and Minifler. DNA profiling success rates differed between cases, ranging from 50.8% to 7.0%, the overall success rate for samples was 36.3%. The best DNA profiling success rates were obtained from femur (36.2%) and tooth (33.7%) samples. DNA profiles were significantly better from lower body bones than upper body bones (p = <0.0001). Bone samples from males gave significantly better profiles than samples from females (p = <0.0001). These results are believed to be related to bone density. The findings are important for designing forensic DNA sampling strategies in future victim recovery investigations.     

D5S818 Typing Discrepancy Between PowerPlex® Fusion and Other STR Kits Including GlobalFiler® Caused by a One‐base Deletion in 31 Nucleotides Upstream of the Repeat Region

Short tandem repeat (STR) typing is widely used in forensic investigation. When the same DNA sample is analyzed with different STR typing kits, a typing discrepancy is occasionally observed. In this study, we examined the cause of a typing discrepancy in a sample at D5S818 locus. This sample was designated as 10, 12 using Identifiler^®, Identifiler^® Plus, GlobalFiler^®, PowerPlex^® 16HS, and PowerPlex^® 18D, but as 9.3, 12 using PowerPlex^® Fusion. Sequencing results indicated that the shorter allele in the sample had a deletion (U31Tdel) at 31 nucleotides upstream of the repeat region (AGAT)₁₀. This deletion was located in the binding site of the published D5S818 forward primer in PowerPlex^® 16 and was only 9 and 11 nucleotides downstream of our estimated 5′ end position of D5S818 forward primer in GlobalFiler^® and PowerPlex^® 18D, respectively. We also examined the effect of primer length on the heterozygous peak balance in this sample.     

Age Estimation in Living Egyptians Using Signal Joint T‐cell Receptor Excision Circle Rearrangement

Age estimation is one of the challenges in forensic sciences. There are many techniques to estimate the age. Molecular biology approach is one of these techniques. Signal joint T‐cell receptor excision circles gene (sjTRECs), is one of this approach. We aimed to use sjTRECs as a suitable marker for age estimation among Egyptian population. TaqMan qPCR approach was used to quantify sjTREC levels in blood samples obtained from 153 healthy Egyptian individuals ranging from a few weeks to 70 years. Our results showed a significant negative correlation between sjTREC levels and age with p ≤ 0.05. Moreover, the individual's age can be determined through this formula Age = ?30.671+ (?5.998Y) (Y is dCtTBP ? sjTREC) with standard error ±7.35 years. Within the forensic context, sjTREC' levels can be used to estimate the Egyptian individual's age accurately.     

两种DNA提取法对签字笔上脱落细胞STR分型比较

目的比较Chelex-100法和硅珠法两种DNA提取法,在签字笔上附着微量脱落上皮细胞分型中的应用效果。方法 17名志愿者每人使用14支签字笔,每支笔每天使用20min,为期1个月,平均分为两组,分别保存1、3、5、7、14、21和28d,同时运用Chelex-100法和硅珠法两种方法提取签字笔上遗留微量脱落细胞中的DNA,用Identifiler复合扩增系统在AB I 3100遗传分析仪上对这些DNA样品进行STR分型,同时采集上述17名志愿者口腔拭子作为对照。结果以基因座检出个数为指标,使用后签字笔保存1、3、5、7、14、21和28d后,采用Chelex-100法和硅珠法两种方法提取DNA并进行分型检出的基因座个数相比差异均有统计学意义(P0.01);口腔拭子保存1、3、5、7、14、21和28d后,采用Chelex-100法和硅珠法两种方法提取DNA并进行分型检出的基因座个数相比差异均无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论对于微量检材,应用硅珠法提取的DNA分型效果明显优于Chelex-100法,具有较高的应用价值,而在检材量比较多时区别不明显。     

接触DNA在法医实践中的应用研究进展

人体在接触物体后,会在其表面留下少量接触DNA。对接触DNA的检验是目前法医DNA检验技术的热点和难点。接触DNA的检验成功率差异较大,受各环节多重因素影响。影响接触DNA检验成功率的主要因素有接触DNA检材的准确发现、接触DNA的提取与纯化以及扩增策略的选择和结果分析等。本文详述了接触DNA检验过程的进展及研究展望。     

我国法医DNA技术标准化体系建设现状与展望

随着法医DNA技术的飞速发展和广泛应用,客观上必然要求以规范化、标准化的手段对其加以严格管理和正确引导。只有遵循标准化作业,检验所得出的结论才能更科学,更准确,更具有说服力达到为案件提供准确线索和为诉讼提供可信证据的要求。虽然,近年来法医DNA技术标准化工作得到了快速发展,但是仍然存在着不足。本文将对目前法医DNA技术标准的现状、存在问题及展望进行总结。     

The effectiveness of various strategies to improve DNA analysis of formaldehyde-damaged tissues from embalmed cadavers for human identification purposes

Formalin-fixed tissues provide the medical and forensic communities with alternative and often last resort sources of DNA for identification or diagnostic purposes. The DNA in these samples can be highly degraded and chemically damaged, making downstream genotyping using short tandem repeats (STRs) challenging. Therefore, the use of alternative genetic markers, methods that pre-amplify the low amount of good quality DNA present, or methods that repair the damaged DNA template may provide more probative genetic information. This study investigated whether whole genome amplification (WGA) and DNA repair could improve STR typing of formaldehyde-damaged (FD) tissues from embalmed cadavers. Additionally, comparative genotyping success using bi-allelic markers, including INDELs and SNPs, was explored. Calculated random match probabilities (RMPs) using traditional STRs, INDEL markers, and two next generation sequencing (NGS) panels were compared across all samples. Overall, results showed that neither WGA nor DNA repair substantially improved STR success rates from formalin-fixed tissue samples. However, when DNA from FD samples was genotyped using INDEL and SNP-based panels, the RMP of each sample was markedly lower than the RMPs calculated from partial STR profiles. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that rather than attempting to improve the quantity and quality of severely damaged and degraded DNA prior to STR typing, a more productive approach may be to target smaller amplicons to provide more discriminatory DNA identifications. Furthermore, an NGS panel with less loci may yield better results when examining FD samples, due to more optimized chemistries that result in greater allelic balance and amplicon coverage.     

Collecting touch DNA from glass surfaces using different sampling solutions and volumes: Immediate and storage effects on genetic STR analysis

Touch DNA has become increasingly important evidence in todays' forensic casework. However, due to its invisible nature and typically minute amounts of DNA, the collection of biological material from touched objects remains a particular challenge that underscores the importance of the best collection methods for maximum recovery efficiency. So far, swabs moistened with water are often utilized in forensic crime scene investigations for touch DNA sampling, even though an aqueous solution provokes osmosis, endangering the cell's integrity. The aim of the research presented here was to systematically determine whether DNA recovery from touched glass items can be significantly increased by varying swabbing solutions and volumes compared with water-moistened swabs and dry swabbing. A second objective was to investigate the possible effects of storage of swab solutions prior to genetic analysis on DNA yield and profile quality when stored for 3 and 12 months, as is often the case with crime scene samples. Overall, the results indicate that adapting volumes of the sampling solutions had no significant effect on DNA yield, while the detergent-based solutions performed better than water and dry removal, with the SDS reagent yielding statistically significant results. Further, stored samples showed an increase in degradation indices for all solutions tested, but no deterioration in DNA content and profile quality, allowing for unrestricted processing of touch DNA samples stored for at least 12 months. One further finding was a strong intraindividual change in DNA amounts observed over the 23 deposition days which may be related to the donor's menstrual cycle.     

Investigating DNA barcodes of plants growing in some areas of Iran with high crime rate: Quercus brantii,Curpressus arizonica,Crataegus pentagyna,Ziziphus Spina-chtista,and Buxus hyrcana

According to criminal botany, the offender unknowingly carries plant samples from the crime scene. Therefore, studying the genetic data of plants native to the crime scene can solve many ambiguities in the criminal files. In this regard, the aim of this study was to investigate the genome of 5 endemic plants in some areas of Iran with high crime rate. Quercus brantii, Curpressus arizonica, Crataegus pentagyna, Ziziphus Spina-chtista, and Buxus hyrcana were assessed using 1 genetic fragment on plastid regions (trnH-psbA) as well as 1 gene on nuclear chromosome called ITS. The alignment of DNA sequences of trnH-psbA and ITS genes was done using BioEdit, Clustal X, and Muscle v4.0 software programs. The phylogenetic analysis was performed on aligned data using Maximum Parsimony (MP) and the Bayesian methods. The Splits Tree v.4.14.4 software program was used for phylogenetic network analysis. Finally, the data combinability test was conducted using the Incongruence Length Difference (ILD) test by PAUP* software program. All data from nrDNA ITS and trnH-psbA sequences were consistent with Information Compatibility Test (ICT) results. Moreover, the nrDNA ITS indicated more resolved relationship than trnH-psbA. The results from MP and Bayesian analyses did not differ significantly between singular and combined forms, except for a slight variance in confidence interval of branches. As the phylogenetic trees provide more thorough and deeper conception of species relations, it is hoped that they would be useful to illuminate some forensic gaps in regions with high crime rates enriched by these plants, not only in Iran, but also in all areas over the world with this vegetation.     

尿液中DNA的提取与检验

尿液中DNA的STR分型检验有一定的应用价值:国外文献报道过应用于运动员兴奋剂控制^[1]中可疑尿检样品的个体识别,国内则偶有案发现场提取到尿液、尿冰、尿斑并成功进行个体识别的案例报道。与血液、精斑、唾液等检材相比,尿液STR分型的检出率较低,主要是与尿液中的成份有关。本文重点分析人类尿液成分,分类总结目前可用于提取尿液中DNA的多种方法,分析可能影响尿液STR分型检验结果的因素。