Mucosal cell isolation and analysis from cellular mixtures of three contributors

J Forensic Sci. 2015 May;60(3):783-6. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.12715. Epub 2015 Feb 12.

Abstract

In forensic genetic analyses, mixtures of various biological materials are common samples. Micromanipulation, which is performed based on differences in cellular morphology, is an effective method for the isolation of cells from mixtures. In this study, mucosal cell was isolated from somatic cellular mixtures (blood and saliva) based on micromanipulation and a low volume-PCR (LV-PCR) platform. One hundred and twenty-six parallel LV-PCR processes were performed using an Identifiler(®) kit, with 107 reactions yielding single-source DNA profiles. Among them, 54 full profiles (50%) and 37 partial profiles (13-15 loci) were obtained. Based on the above method, we obtained a single-source DNA profile from a cigarette butt contaminated by two victims' blood in a murder case. The generated genotype was used to query a DNA database, and a perfect match was found.

Keywords: DNA typing; forensic science; low volume-polymerase chain reaction; micromanipulation; mixtures; mucosal cell.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Blood
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Separation*
  • DNA / isolation & purification*
  • DNA Fingerprinting / methods*
  • Homicide
  • Humans
  • Mouth Mucosa / cytology*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Tobacco Products

Substances

  • DNA