title: RNA in forensic science.
abstract: RNA analysis offers insight into diseases and mechanisms leading to death and could develop into a valuable tool for diagnosis of the cause of death in forensic pathology. Other possible applications include the determination of the age of wounds and injuries and of the post-mortem interval. The molecular identification of body fluids by analysis of cell-specific mRNA expression already represents a new technique supplementing DNA analysis in forensic cases. This review explains and discusses principles, techniques and applications by offering a complete and comprehensive overview of research results in forensic RNA work.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. miletus@gmx.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bauer
mesh_terms: D001801:Blood Stains; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000737:chemistry; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D053803:Forensic Genetics / Q000379:methods*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D020871:RNA Stability
chemical_list: D012313:RNA