title: Forensic application of microRNA-706 as a biomarker for drowning pattern identification.
abstract: Forensic research using microRNA has been used so far only for the identification of body fluids, but its use in understanding biological processes in post-mortem pathology has not been studied before. Therefore, we performed experiments in mice to compare between freshwater and saltwater drowning models, and miRNA expression was analyzed in the brain through a forward bioinformatics screening approach. In this study, we identified eight specific microRNAs whose expression increased in freshwater and decreased in saltwater. Among them, miR-706 - targeting HCN1 - was identified as a potent biomarker for the drowning pattern identification. A higher expression of miR-706 was detected in the freshwater drowning compared to the control and saltwater drowning group (p<0.05, and p<0.01, respectively). HCN1 mRNA expression, a suggested candidate target for miR-706, was lower in the freshwater (p<0.01) than in the saltwater drowning group, and showed statistical difference between freshwater and saltwater drowning (p<0.01). miR-706 was specifically expressed in the hippocampal neurons as detected by in situ hybridization. Our data suggest that a specific microRNA may provide clues to understanding some crime scene investigations and pathobiological processes in the dead body.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea; Research Institute of Forensic Science, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: SeonYoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Forensic Medicine Division, National Forensic Service, Jangseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Joo-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Na
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Forensic Science, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea; Department of Pathology, Saint Carollo Hospital, Sun-Cheon, Chonnam, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Jik
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University, Goyang, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung-Tae
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea; Research Institute of Forensic Science, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Tae
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea; Research Institute of Forensic Science, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: veritas@jnu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hyung-Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004332:Drowning / Q000175:diagnosis*; D053803:Forensic Genetics; D005618:Fresh Water; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D064428:Hyperpolarization-Activated Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D023421:Models, Animal; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; C578666:Hcn1 protein, mouse; D064428:Hyperpolarization-Activated Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channels; D035683:MicroRNAs; D015221:Potassium Channels; D012333:RNA, Messenger
keywords: Biomarker; Death identification; Drowning; Forensic; microRNA