Study of species specificity of the amelogenin system for genetic sex determination

The properties of amelogenin amplification system and, in particular, of its species specificity, were studied. DNA preparations extracted from cattle (cow/bull), pig, ram and from poultry (hen), as well as from dog and cat, were used as a matrix for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) involving a standard scheme of enzymatic amplification of the amelogenin gene. It was demonstrated that, unlike for the human DNA, the amelogenin test couldn't be used for the DNA of examined animals as a sex-specific marker. However, there is a danger of a false determination of the male sex in the female origin samples during a forensic-experts' typing of the amelogenin gene, if there is an admixture of an animal DNA to a human DNA preparation. As for the biological samples of the animal origin, there is a possibility of a false-female sex determination. It can be attributed to an incorrectly selected standard of the molecular weight or to its remote location on the gel as well as to the use of an inaccurately calculated algorithm designed for determining the sizes of analyzed fragments.