title: SNP-microarrays can accurately identify the presence of an individual in complex forensic DNA mixtures.
abstract: Common forensic and mass disaster scenarios present DNA evidence that comprises a mixture of several contributors. Identifying the presence of an individual in such mixtures has proven difficult. In the current study, we evaluate the practical usefulness of currently available "off-the-shelf" SNP microarrays for such purposes. We found that a set of 3000 SNPs specifically selected for this purpose can accurately identify the presence of an individual in complex DNA mixtures of various compositions. For example, individuals contributing as little as 5% to a complex DNA mixture can be robustly identified even if the starting DNA amount was as little as 5.0ng and had undergone whole-genome amplification (WGA) prior to SNP analysis. The work presented in this study represents proof-of-principle that our previously proposed approach, can work with real "forensic-type" samples. Furthermore, in the absence of a low-density focused forensic SNP microarray, the use of standard, currently available high-density SNP microarrays can be similarly used and even increase statistical power due to the larger amount of available information.
authors: Department of Genetics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel; Forensic Biology Laboratory, Israel Police, Israel Police National HQ, Jerusalem 91906, Israel.
authors: Lev
authors: L
authors: Voskoboinik
authors: Cellmark Forensics, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors: Sheri B
authors: SB
authors: Ayers
authors: Cellmark Forensics, Dallas, TX, USA. Electronic address: Aaron.LeFebvre@labcorp.com.
authors: Aaron K
authors: AK
authors: LeFebvre
authors: Department of Genetics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel. Electronic address: ariel@hebrew.edu.
authors: Ariel
authors: A
authors: Darvasi
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D053803:Forensic Genetics; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
chemical_list: D004247:DNA
keywords: Complex DNA Mixtures; Forensic DNA; Microarray; SNP