The use of mitochondrial DNA single nucleotide polymorphisms to assist in the resolution of three challenging forensic cases.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in an 11-plex assay were typed in three missing person cases involving highly degraded human remains. Unlike the traditional forensic approach to analyzing mtDNA which focuses on sequencing portions of the noncoding Control Region, this assay targets discriminatory SNPs that reside principally in the coding region. In two of the cases, the SNP typing successfully excluded one of two reference families that could not be excluded on the basis of mtDNA hypervariable region sequencing alone, and resulted in the final resolution of both decades-old cases. In a third case, SNP typing confirmed the sorting and reassociation of multiple commingled skeletal elements. The application of a specific mtDNA SNP assay in these cases demonstrates its utility in distinguishing samples when the most common Caucasian hypervariable region type is encountered in forensic casework.
Just
Rebecca S
RS
Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, AFIP Annex, 1413 Research Blvd., Rockville, MD 20850, USA. rebecca.s.just@us.army.mil
Leney
Mark D
MD
Barritt
Suzanne M
SM
Los
Christopher W
CW
Smith
Brion C
BC
Holland
Thomas D
TD
Parsons
Thomas J
TJ
D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions; D053836:DNA Degradation, Necrotic; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial