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Establishment of a co-analysis system for personal identification and body fluid identification: a preliminary report

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Abstract

Analysis of genetic markers can provide clues for case investigation. Short tandem repeat (STR) detection and analysis are widely used for both personal identification and parentage testing. However, DNA analysis currently cannot provide sufficient information for body fluid identification. Tissue or cell sources of samples can be identified by detecting body fluid-specific mRNA markers, which have been studied thoroughly. Integrating STR profiling and mRNA expression patterns can provide more information than conventional methods for investigations and the reconstruction of crime scenes; this can be achieved by DNA/RNA co-extraction technology, which is economical, efficient, and suitable for low-template samples. Here, we propose a co-analysis system based on the PowerPlex 16 kit. This system can simultaneously amplify 25 markers, including 15 STRs, one non-STR amelogenin, and nine mRNA markers (three blood-specific, two saliva-specific, two semen-specific, and two housekeeping gene markers). The specificity and sensitivity of the co-analysis system were determined and aged and degraded samples were used to validate the stability of the co-analysis system. Finally, different DNA/RNA ratios and various carriers were evaluated. The results showed that the DNA/RNA co-analysis system correctly identified different types of body fluid stains. The STR profiles obtained using the co-analysis system were identical to those obtained using the PP16 kit, which demonstrates that the mRNA primers used did not affect STR profiling. Complete STR and mRNA profiles could be obtained from 1/8 portions of buccal swabs, 1/16 portions of swabs of blood and semen samples, 0.1 cm2 of blood samples, 0.25 cm2 of semen samples, and 1.0 cm2 saliva samples. Additionally, our findings indicate that complete STR and mRNA profiles can be obtained with this system from blood and semen samples when the DNA/RNA ratio is 1:1/32. This study suggests that the co-analysis system could be used for simultaneous personal identification and body fluid identification.

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Data availability

All data generated or analysed in this study were included in the article and supplementary material.

Materials availability

All data generated or analysed in this study were included in the article and supplementary material.

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None.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Sichuan University and Luzhou Municipal People’s Government Strategic cooperation projects (no. 2020CDLZ-7) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no.82002004).

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Author notes

  1. Yuanyuan Xiao and Dezhi Chen equally contributed to this study.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China

    Yuanyuan Xiao, Dezhi Chen, Duo Peng, Shengqiu Qu, Ranran Zhang, Guihong Liu, Yazi Zheng, Mengyu Tan, Jiaming Xue, Yimin Zhang & Weibo Liang

  2. Laboratory of Molecular Translational Medicine, Center for Translational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People’s Republic of China

    Zhilong Li

  3. Sichuan Police College, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People’s Republic of China

    Jing Zhu

Authors
  1. Yuanyuan Xiao
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  2. Dezhi Chen
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jing Zhu or Weibo Liang.

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This study was approved by the Ethics Committee at Sichuan University.

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Written informed consent was obtained from all sample donors.

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Xiao, Y., Chen, D., Peng, D. et al. Establishment of a co-analysis system for personal identification and body fluid identification: a preliminary report. Int J Legal Med 136, 1565–1575 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-022-02886-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-022-02886-y

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