Cargando…

Mitochondrial DNA in forensic use

Genetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has always been a useful tool for forensic geneticists, mainly because of its ubiquitous presence in biological material, even in the absence of nuclear DNA. Sequencing, however, is not a skill that is part of the routine forensic analysis because of the...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Syndercombe Court, Denise
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Portland Press Ltd. 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8457767/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34374411
http://dx.doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20210204
_version_ 1784571174203686912
author Syndercombe Court, Denise
author_facet Syndercombe Court, Denise
author_sort Syndercombe Court, Denise
collection PubMed
description Genetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has always been a useful tool for forensic geneticists, mainly because of its ubiquitous presence in biological material, even in the absence of nuclear DNA. Sequencing, however, is not a skill that is part of the routine forensic analysis because of the relative rarity of requests, and the need for retention of necessary skill sets and associated accreditation issues. While standard Sanger sequencing may be relatively simple, many requests are made in the face of compromised biological samples. Newer technologies, provided through massively parallel sequencing (MPS), will increase the opportunity for scientists to include this tool in their routine, particularly for missing person investigations. MPS has also enabled a different approach to sequencing that can increase sensitivity in a more targeted approach. In these circumstances it is likely that only a laboratory that specialises in undertaking forensic mtDNA analysis will be able to take these difficult cases forward, more so because reviews of the literature have revealed significantly high levels of typing errors in publications reporting mtDNA sequences. The forensic community has set out important guidelines, not only in the practical aspects of analysis, but also in the interpretation of that sequence to ensure that accurate comparisons can be made. Analysis of low-level, compromised and ancient DNA is not easy, however, as contamination is extremely difficult to eliminate and circumstances leading to sequencing errors are all too easily introduced. These problems, and solutions, are discussed in the article in relation to several historic cases.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-8457767
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2021
publisher Portland Press Ltd.
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-84577672021-10-06 Mitochondrial DNA in forensic use Syndercombe Court, Denise Emerg Top Life Sci Review Articles Genetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has always been a useful tool for forensic geneticists, mainly because of its ubiquitous presence in biological material, even in the absence of nuclear DNA. Sequencing, however, is not a skill that is part of the routine forensic analysis because of the relative rarity of requests, and the need for retention of necessary skill sets and associated accreditation issues. While standard Sanger sequencing may be relatively simple, many requests are made in the face of compromised biological samples. Newer technologies, provided through massively parallel sequencing (MPS), will increase the opportunity for scientists to include this tool in their routine, particularly for missing person investigations. MPS has also enabled a different approach to sequencing that can increase sensitivity in a more targeted approach. In these circumstances it is likely that only a laboratory that specialises in undertaking forensic mtDNA analysis will be able to take these difficult cases forward, more so because reviews of the literature have revealed significantly high levels of typing errors in publications reporting mtDNA sequences. The forensic community has set out important guidelines, not only in the practical aspects of analysis, but also in the interpretation of that sequence to ensure that accurate comparisons can be made. Analysis of low-level, compromised and ancient DNA is not easy, however, as contamination is extremely difficult to eliminate and circumstances leading to sequencing errors are all too easily introduced. These problems, and solutions, are discussed in the article in relation to several historic cases. Portland Press Ltd. 2021-09-24 2021-08-10 /pmc/articles/PMC8457767/ /pubmed/34374411 http://dx.doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20210204 Text en © 2021 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society and the Royal Society of Biology and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) . Open access for this article was enabled by the participation of Kings College London in an all-inclusive Read & Publish pilot with Portland Press and the Biochemical Society under a transformative agreement with JISC.
spellingShingle Review Articles
Syndercombe Court, Denise
Mitochondrial DNA in forensic use
title Mitochondrial DNA in forensic use
title_full Mitochondrial DNA in forensic use
title_fullStr Mitochondrial DNA in forensic use
title_full_unstemmed Mitochondrial DNA in forensic use
title_short Mitochondrial DNA in forensic use
title_sort mitochondrial dna in forensic use
topic Review Articles
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8457767/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34374411
http://dx.doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20210204
work_keys_str_mv AT syndercombecourtdenise mitochondrialdnainforensicuse