title: Assessing the Utility of Soil DNA Extraction Kits for Increasing DNA Yields and Eliminating PCR Inhibitors from Buried Skeletal Remains.
abstract: DNA identification of human remains is often necessary when decedents are skeletonized; however, poor DNA recovery and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) inhibition are frequently encountered, a situation exacerbated by burial. In this research, the utility of integrating soil DNA isolation kits into buried skeletal DNA analysis was evaluated and compared to a standard human DNA extraction kit and organic extraction. The soil kits successfully extracted skeletal DNA at quantities similar to standard methods, although the two kits tested, which differ mechanistically, were not equivalent. Further, the PCR inhibitors calcium and humic acid were effectively removed using the soil kits, whereas collagen was less so. Finally, concordant control region sequences were obtained from human skeletal remains using all four methods. Based on these comparisons, soil DNA isolation kits, which quickened the extraction process, proved to be a viable extraction technique for skeletal remains that resulted in positive identification of a decedent.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Program, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 655 Auditorium Road, 560A Baker Hall, East Lansing, MI, 48824.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Hebda
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Program, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 655 Auditorium Road, 560A Baker Hall, East Lansing, MI, 48824.|Department of Integrated Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Foran
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002048:Burial; D002118:Calcium; D002417:Cattle; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005269:Femur / Q000737:chemistry*; D053803:Forensic Genetics / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D006812:Humic Substances; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D006812:Humic Substances; D012987:Soil; D004247:DNA; D002118:Calcium
keywords: DNA extraction; buried skeletal remains; calcium PCR inhibition; collagen PCR inhibition; forensic science; humic acid PCR inhibition; soil DNA