Forensic casework analysis using the HVI/HVII mtDNA linear array assay.
The mitochondrial hypervariable regions I and II have proven to be a useful target for analysis of forensic materials, in which the amount of DNA is limited or highly degraded. Conventional mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing can be time-consuming and expensive, limitations that can be minimized using a faster and less expensive typing assay. We have evaluated the exclusion capacity of the linear array mtDNA HVI/HVII region-sequence typing assay (Roche Applied Science) in 16 forensic cases comprising 90 samples. Using the HVI/HVII mtDNA linear array, 56% of the samples were excluded and thus less than half of the samples require further sequencing due to a match or inconclusive results. Of all the samples that were excluded by sequence analysis, 79% could be excluded using the HVI/HVII linear array alone. Using the HVI/HVII mtDNA linear array assay, we demonstrate the potential to decrease sequencing efforts substantially and thereby reduce the cost and the turn-around time in casework analysis.
Divne
Anna-Maria
AM
Uppsala University, Department of Genetics and Pathology, Rudbeck Laboratory 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden.
Nilsson
Martina
M
Calloway
Cassandra
C
Reynolds
Rebecca
R
Erlich
Henry
H
Allen
Marie
M
D003415:Crime; D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods*
D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial