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How reliable is the sub-population model in DNA testimony?

The performance of the sub-population model first proposed by Balding and Nichols [D.J. Balding, R.A. Nichols, DNA profile match probability calculation: how to allow for population stratification, relatedness, database selection and single bands. Forensic Sci. Int. 64 (1994) 125-140] is examined using a simulation approach. This work extends the investigations of Curran et al. [J.M. Curran, J.S. Buckleton, and C.M. Triggs, What is the magnitude of the sub-population effect? Forensic Sci. Int. 135 (2003) 1-8]. In particular the effect of underestimating the coancestry coefficient, theta, and the effect of departures from the modelling assumptions were investigated. The model tends to give strongly conservative estimates if the estimate for the coancestry coefficient is accurate. If this coefficient is underestimated then a larger fraction of cases give non-conservative estimates. Departures from the modelling assumption that the sub-population is in Hardy-Weinberg and linkage equilibria appear to have very little effect.

Consanguinity↗

Evaluating the forensic informativeness of mtDNA haplogroup H sub-typing on a Eurasian scale.

The impact of phylogeographic information on mtDNA forensics has been limited to the quality control of published sequences and databases. In this work we use the information already available on Eurasian mtDNA phylogeography to guide the choice of coding-region SNPs for haplogroup H. This sub-typing is particularly important in forensics since, even when sequencing both HVRI and HVRII, the discriminating power is low in some Eurasian populations. We show that a small set (eight) of coding-region SNPs resolves a substantial proportion of the identical haplotypes, as defined by control-region variation alone. Moreover, this SNP set, while substantially increasing the discriminating efficiency in most Eurasian populations by roughly equal amounts, discloses population-specific profiles.

Asia↗

Messenger RNA profiling: a novel method for body fluid identification by real-time PCR.

Conventional methods for the identification of different body fluids like blood, semen and saliva from biological stains involve immunological or enzymatic detection of certain proteins. In this study, we investigated potential RNA markers with the aim of developing Real-Time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based methods to allow differentiation between several body fluids. Total RNA samples from artificially stained swabs and from various pieces of evidence from case work were extracted, amplified and analyzed with several RNA markers. Three assays detecting the body fluids of interest were selected: hemoglobin-alpha locus 1 (HBA), kallikrein 3 (KLK) and mucin 4 (MUC). With this approach, we demonstrate that specific Real-Time PCR assays are useful in identifying the source of the biological stain. Furthermore, RNA profiling of various body fluids was even possible on samples stored over a long period of time at ambient temperature. The stability and sensitivity of the applied method outlines a novel application for Real-Time PCR within the forensic field.

Blood↗

STR data for the 15 loci from three minority populations in Guangxi municipality in South China.

In this study, allele frequencies for the 15 STRs (D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D19S433, vWA, TPOX, D18S51, D5S818, FGA) included in the AmpFLSTR Identifiler kit were obtained from total of 450 unrelated individuals belonging to three minority populations including Miao (n=141), Yi (n=165) and Hui (n=144) in Guangxi municipality, South China. GENEPOP v3.4 and PowerStats v1.2 was used to analyze the genotype data. This result indicates that the studied STR loci of these three minorities are useful in forensic testing and population genetics studies.

China↗

Identification of necrophagous fly species using ISSR and SCAR markers.

Necrophagous fly is the most common insect evidence collected during a death investigation. We analyzed the DNA polymorphism among the five forensically important fly species, namely, Lucilia sericata, Aldrichina grahami, Chrysomya megacephala, Parasarcophaga crassipalpis and Musca domestica using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) method. Nine ISSR primers selected from 18 primers could amplify 105 clear and stable bands, of which 95 bands were polymorphic. Some primers produced completely different band pattern in different species, indicating that they can be used to identify these species. Aiming at obtaining more reliable markers that might be universally used, we started an effort to convert species-specific ISSR fragments into the sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers that can be used for the molecular diagnosis of the five species.

Animals↗

Control region sequences for East Asian individuals in the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods forensic mtDNA data set.

The Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) population data set is used to infer the relative rarity of mtDNA profiles obtained from evidence samples and of profiles used to identify missing persons. In this study, the East Asian haplogroup patterns in the SWGDAM data sets were analyzed in a phylogenetic context to determine relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and to describe haplogroup distributions for Asians (n = 753; with a breakdown of individuals from China n = 356, Korea n = 182, Japan n = 163, and Thailand n = 52). We focus on the patterns observed in the SWGDAM Chinese data set and refer to interesting differences in the smaller subgroup data sets for the other East Asian populations (Japanese, Korean, and Thai). A total of 218 SNPs were observed in the data set, including 37 observed positions not previously reported. In the largest of the East Asian SWGDAM data sets (Chinese), these SNPs ranged from having 1 to 29 changes in the phylogenetic tree, with site 16519 being the most variable. On average there were 4.5 changes for a character on the tree. The most variable sites (with 14 or more changes each listed from fastest to slowest) observed were 16519 (L = 29), 16311 (L = 27), 152 (L = 24), 146 (L = 21), 16172 (L = 17), 16189 (L = 17), 195 (L = 16), 16362 (L = 15), 16093 (L = 14), 16129 (L = 14) and 150 (L = 14). These rapidly changing sites are consistent with other published analyses. Only 28 SNPs are needed to identify all clusters containing 1% (n = 7) or more individuals in the East Asian data set. All 36 haplogroups previously observed in East Asian populations were also seen in the SWGDAM data sets and include: A, B, B4, B4a, B4b, B5a, B5b, C, D, D4, D4a, D4b, D5, D5a, F, F1, F1a, F1b, F1c, F2a, G2, G2a, M, M7a1, M7b, M7b1, M7b2, M7c, M8a, M9, M10, N9a, R, R9a, Y, and Z. Haplogroups A, B4a, D4, and F1a were the most commonly observed clusters in the Chinese data set (the largest of the data sets) with each of these occurring in more than 6% of the samples in the data set. The next most common haplogroups in the Chinese data set include the clusters C, M7b1, and N9a with each observed at frequencies greater than or equal to 4%. European Caucasian, and African haplogroups were rarely observed within the East Asian data sets. The various analyses revealed that the data set was similar to published East Asian data sets such as those from Han Chinese.

Asian People↗

STR loci Penta D and Penta E: data from a Northern Thai population sample.

We designed new primers that give shorter amplicons for Penta D and Penta E for easy separation on native polyacrylamide gels. 112 unrelated Northern Thai men were typed. A total of nine and eight-teen alleles was found for Penta D and Penta E, respectively. Both loci showed a high power of discrimination (Penta D: 0.927; Penta E: 0.966; both loci combined: 0.9975) as reported in other populations. Penta D met Hardy-Weinberg expectations, whereas Penta E did not, maybe because of the small sample size in relation to the large number of alleles of this locus.

Alleles↗

Anthrax molecular epidemiology and forensics: using the appropriate marker for different evolutionary scales.

Precise identification of Bacillus anthracis isolates has aided forensic and epidemiological analyses of natural anthrax cases, bioterrorism acts and industrial scale accidents by state-sponsored bioweapons programs. Because there is little molecular variation among B. anthracis isolates, identifying and using rare variation is crucial for precise strain identification. We think that mutation is the primary diversifying force in a clonal, recently emerged pathogen, such as B. anthracis, since mutation rate is correlated with diversity on a per locus basis. While single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are rare, their detection is facilitated by whole genome discovery approaches. As highly stable phylogenetic markers, SNPs are useful for identifying long branches or key phylogenetic positions. Selection of single, diagnostic "Canonical SNPs" (canSNPs) for these phylogenetic positions allows for efficient and defining assays. We have taken a nested hierarchal strategy for subtyping B. anthracis, which is consistent with traditional diagnostics and applicable to a wide range of pathogens. Progressive hierarchical resolving assays using nucleic acids (PHRANA) uses a progression of diagnostic genomic loci that are initially highly stable but with low resolution and, ultimately, very unstable but with high resolution. This approach mitigates the need for data weighting and provides both a deeply rooted phylogenetic hypothesis and high resolution discrimination among closely related isolates.

Animals↗

Food and forensic molecular identification: update and challenges.

The need for accurate and reliable methods for animal species identification has steadily increased during past decades, particularly with the recent food scares and the overall crisis of biodiversity primarily resulting from the huge ongoing illegal traffic of endangered species. A relatively new biotechnological field, known as species molecular identification, based on the amplification and analysis of DNA, offers promising solutions. Indeed, despite the fact that retrieval and analysis of DNA in processed products is a real challenge, numerous technically consistent methods are now available and allow the detection of animal species in almost any organic substrate. However, this field is currently facing a turning point and should rely more on knowledge primarily from three fundamental fields--paleogenetics, molecular evolution and systematics.

Animals↗

Forensic applications of mitochondrial DNA.

Human mitochondrial DNA has become a useful tool in forensic investigations. Its polymorphic nature and maternal inheritance are characteristics that have, combined with its sequence information, enabled investigators to identify missing persons, war casualties and individuals involved in mass disasters and criminal cases. Various screening procedures have been developed to reduce the need to sequence samples that do not match, but DNA-sequence information is still necessary to verify a match. Even though several challenges remain before mitochondrial-DNA-sequence information can be used unambiguously, comparative mitochondrial-DNA-sequence analysis appears to be a reliable and powerful means for human identification.

DNA, Mitochondrial↗

Routine Y-STR typing in forensic casework.

In the field of molecular diagnosis, forensic casework analysis is one of the most demanding investigations, due to its social impact. Optimization of DNA typing multiplex reactions with identical cycling conditions as those required by autosomal short tandem repeats (STR) multiplex reduces errors, and saves time and reagents. Previously, we validated a five Y-STRs set, all of them generating single band patterns. This work reports the optimization of combined multiplexes, a triplex (DYS19, DYS390 and DYS391) and a duplex (DYS392 and DYS393), that can be amplified in identical cycling conditions as those required by commercially available multiplex autosomal STR kits. In addition both Y chromosome multiplexes can be combined for co-injection on a capillary electrophoresis based automated sequencer. Statistical attributes of the haplotypes of the five Y-STR investigated were evaluated in unrelated males from different metropolitan areas of Argentina. This system was successfully used for investigating more than 350 forensic routine cases in our country.

Argentina↗

Y-chromosomal SNP haplotype diversity in forensic analysis.

Many Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are now available. The haplogroups which they define are highly non-randomly distributed among populations, and could contribute much to population-of-origin prediction from DNA. If this potential is to be exploited in forensic analysis, high-throughput, parallel methods are required for Y-SNP typing.

Forensic Medicine↗

STR primer concordance study.

Over 1500 population database samples comprising African Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics, Native Americans, Chamorros and Filipinos were typed using the PowerPlex 16 and the Profiler Plus/COfiler kits. Except for the D8S1179 locus in Chamorros and Filipinos from Guam, there were eight examples in which a typing difference due to allele dropout was observed. At the D8S1179 locus in the population samples from Guam, there were 13 examples of allele dropout observed when using the Profiler Plus kit. The data support that the primers used in the PowerPlex 16, Profiler Plus, and COfiler kits are reliable for typing reference samples that are for use in CODIS. In addition, allele frequency databases have been established for the STR loci Penta D and Penta E. Both loci are highly polymorphic.

Alleles↗