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Usefulness of Quantitative PCR in Forensic Genetics

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Handbook of DNA Profiling

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Abstract

Although most DNA studies in forensic genetics are focused on the sample, including DNA extraction and amplification, sample quantification is an important step that is required to determine the optimal DNA input for amplification. In addition, the effective quantification of DNA can provide information regarding the degradation and inhibition of DNA to optimize the amplification strategy or the extraction method and can be used to inform the decision to analyze another sample of the same specimen. In this chapter, quantitative PCR (qPCR, also known as real-time PCR, RT-PCR) will be described after a brief history of quantification methods, PCR fundamentals, current applications in forensic genetics [including the sequencing of short-tandem repeats (STRs), single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), Y-chromosomes, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and non-human DNA], and future perspectives for this technique.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Christian Haarkötter, Juan Carlos Alvarez & María Saiz

  2. Pfizer-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Granada, Spain

    M. J. Alvarez-Cubero

  3. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology III, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    M. J. Alvarez-Cubero

Authors
  1. Christian Haarkötter
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  2. M. J. Alvarez-Cubero
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  3. Juan Carlos Alvarez
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  4. María Saiz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. J. Alvarez-Cubero .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Forensic Science National Forensic Sciences University, Delhi Campus, New Delhi, India

    Hirak Ranjan Dash

  2. DNA Fingerprinting Unit, State Forensic Science Laboratory, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Pankaj Shrivastava

  3. Laboratory of Genetic Identification Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology Faculty of Medicine University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    J. A. Lorente

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Haarkötter, C., Alvarez-Cubero, M.J., Alvarez, J.C., Saiz, M. (2022). Usefulness of Quantitative PCR in Forensic Genetics. In: Dash, H.R., Shrivastava, P., Lorente, J.A. (eds) Handbook of DNA Profiling. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4318-7_39

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