title: Detection of proline-rich proteins for the identification of saliva by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
abstract: Saliva is one of the most common body fluids found at a crime scene. Therefore, identifying saliva is important in forensic science. However, the current protein marker assays used to identify saliva are not sufficiently specific. Although proline-rich proteins (PRPs) are highly specific for saliva, their forensic potential has not yet been investigated. In this study, we developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to detect acidic salivary PRP HaeIII subfamily 1/2 (PRH1/2) and basic salivary PRP 2 (PRB2). The specificity, sensitivity, and efficiency of the ELISAs for PRH1/2 and PRB2 were compared with those of the ELISA for statherin (STATH), a known protein marker for saliva. The levels of PRH1/2 were significantly higher in saliva and saliva stains than in other body fluids (nasal secretions, urine, semen, vaginal fluid, blood, and sweat). PRB2 and STATH were detected in both nasal secretions and saliva. The PRH1/2 ELISA showed sensitivity similar to that of STATH ELISA. The detection rate of PRH1/2 ELISA was almost similar to that of STATH ELISA, followed by the ELISA for PRB2. The PRH1/2 ELISA had higher specificity for saliva than STATH ELISA. Therefore, the PRH1/2 ELISA has potential as a method to identify saliva for forensic investigation.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Laboratory of Okayama Prefectural Police H.Q., 1-3-2 Tondacho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-0816, Japan. Electronic address: op-qphif108@pref.okayama.jp.
authors.forename: Akihisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Igoh
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Laboratory of Okayama Prefectural Police H.Q., 1-3-2 Tondacho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-0816, Japan.
authors.forename: Sho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomotake
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Laboratory of Okayama Prefectural Police H.Q., 1-3-2 Tondacho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-0816, Japan; Department of Legal Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Science, 2-5-1 Shikatacho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Doi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000737:chemistry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D055232:Proline-Rich Protein Domains; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: C018149:STATH protein, human; D012471:Salivary Proteins and Peptides
keywords: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; PRP HaeIII subfamily 1/2; Proline-rich proteins; Saliva identification; Salivary PRP 2; Statherin