Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Chimerism in DNA of buccal swabs from recipients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantations: implications for forensic DNA testing

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
International Journal of Legal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We attempted to quantitatively determine the chimeric state in a total of 162 buccal swabs from 77 adult recipients aged 19–74 (median 50 years) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation by estimating the chimeric recipient/donor DNA ratios through analysis of 15 autosomal short tandem repeat markers. From each individual between one and nine, buccal swabs were taken at known time intervals after transplantation, ranging from 17 to 3,361 days (median 394 days). In buccal cells, the determined recipient/donor DNA ratios turned out to be highly variable between individuals and also within an individual. Relative donor chimerism levels (%Ch) between 0 and 100 % were detected with maximal frequencies between 10 and 30 %. Blood was always found to show the donor's genotype while hair samples in all cases gave the recipient's genotype. We examine chimerism levels with respect to age, gender, and posttransplantation period and discuss the results in the context of forensic identity testing.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

References

  1. Bittmann I, Hentrich M, Bise K, Kolb HJ, Löhrs U (2003) Endothelial cells but not epithelial cells or cardiomyocytes are partially replaced by donor cells after allogeneic bone marrow and stem cell transplantation. J Hematother Stem Cell Res 12(4):359–366

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Borue X, Lee S, Grove J, Herzog EL, Harris R, Diflo T, Glusac E, Hyman K, Theise ND, Krause DS (2004) Bone marrow-derived cells contribute to epithelial engraftment during wound healing. Am J Pathol 165(5):1767–1772

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Crain BJ, Tran SD, Mezey E (2005) Transplanted human bone marrow cells generate new brain cells. J Neurol Sci 233(1–2):121–123

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Krause DS (2005) Engraftment of bone marrow-derived epithelial cells. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1044:117–124

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. ten Hove WR, Verspaget HW, Barge R, Lamers CB, van Hoek B (2007) Liver chimerism after allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation. Transplant Proc 39(1):231–236

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Imanishi D, Miyazaki Y, Yamasaki R, Sawayama Y, Taguchi J, Tsushima H, Fukushima T, Yoshida S, Sasaki H, Hata T, Tomonaga M (2007) Donor-derived DNA in fingernails among recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplants. Blood 110(7):2231–2234

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Krause DS (2008) Bone marrow-derived lung epithelial cells. Proc Am Thorac Soc 5(6):699–702

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Murata H, Janin A, Leboeuf C, Soulier J, Gluckman E, Meignin V, Socie G (2007) Donor-derived cells and human graft-versus-host disease of the skin. Blood 109(6):2663–2665

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Tran SD, Pillemer SR, Dutra A, Barrett AJ, Brownstein MJ, Key S, Pak E, Leakan RA, Kingman A, Yamada KM, Baum BJ, Mezey E (2003) Differentiation of human bone marrow-derived cells into buccal epithelial cells in vivo: a molecular analytical study. Lancet 361(9363):1084–1088

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Metaxas Y, Zeiser R, Schmitt-Graeff A, Waterhouse M, Faber P, Follo M, Bertz H, Finke J, Spyridonidis A (2005) Human hematopoietic cell transplantation results in generation of donor-derived epithelial cells. Leukemia 19(7):1287–1289

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Maria OM, Khosravi R, Mezey E, Tran SD (2007) Cells from bone marrow that evolve into oral tissues and their clinical applications. Oral Dis 13(1):11–16

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Walsh PS, Metzger DA, Higuchi R (1991) Chelex 100 as a medium for simple extraction of DNA for PCR-based typing from forensic material. Biotechniques 10(4):506–513

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Walker JA, Hedges DJ, Perodeau BP, Landry KE, Stoilova N, Laborde ME, Shewale J, Sinha SK, Batzer MA (2005) Multiplex polymerase chain reaction for simultaneous quantitation of human nuclear, mitochondrial, and male Y-chromosome DNA: application in human identification. Anal Biochem 337(1):89–97

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Niederstätter H, Köchl S, Grubwieser P, Pavlic M, Steinlechner M, Parson W (2007) A modular real-time PCR concept for determining the quantity and quality of human nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Forensic Sci Int Genet 1(1):29–34

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Nollet F, Billiet J, Selleslag D, Criel A (2001) Standardisation of multiplex fluorescent short tandem repeat analysis for chimerism testing. Bone Marrow Transplant 28:511–518

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Milde A, Kühl-Burmeister R, Ritz-Timme S, Kaatsch HJ (1999) DNA typing in cases of blood chimerism. Int J Legal Med 112(5):333–335

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Dauber EM, Dorner G, Mitterbauer M, Wenda S, Faé I, Glock B, Mayr WR (2004) Discrepant results of samples taken from different tissues of a single individual. Int Congr Ser 1261:48–49

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Verdiani S, Bonsignore A, Casarino L, Ferrari GM, Zia SC, De Stefano F (2009) An unusual observation of tetragametic chimerism: forensic aspects. Int J Legal Med 123(5):431–435

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Castella V, del Mar LM, Mangin P (2009) One person with two DNA profiles: a(nother) case of mosaicism or chimerism. Int J Legal Med 123(5):427–430

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Waterhouse M, Themeli M, Bertz H, Zoumbos N, Finke J, Spyridonidis A (2011) Horizontal DNA transfer from donor to host cells as an alternative mechanism of epithelial chimerism after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 17(3):319–329

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Anjos MJ, Souto L, Carvalho M, Martinho A, Santos P, Simões O, Breda-Coimbra H, Vieira DN, Vide MC (1998) Forensic view for genetic profiles after bone marrow transplants. Prog Forensic Gen 7:156–158

    Google Scholar 

  22. Paszkiewicz GM, Timm EA Jr, Mahoney MC, Wallace PK, Sullivan Nasca MA, Tammela TL, Hutson A, Pauly JL (2008) Increased human buccal cell autofluorescence is a candidate biomarker of tobacco smoking. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 17(1):239–244

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all recipients participating voluntarily in this study and to the staff of the University Hospital of Internal Medicine V for their assistance in sample collection. We thank Nicole Krug for her contribution with routine data analysis, and Bettina Zimmermann and Lorenz Decristoforo for their useful discussions.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Johannes Clausen

    Present address: 3rd Medical Department, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, 5020, Salzburg, Austria

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Muellerstrasse 44, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Burkhard Berger, Cordula Berger & Walther Parson

  2. Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital of Innsbruck, Internal Medicine V, Anichstrasse 35, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Roswitha Parson, Johannes Clausen & David Nachbaur

Authors
  1. Burkhard Berger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Roswitha Parson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Johannes Clausen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Cordula Berger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. David Nachbaur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Walther Parson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Walther Parson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Berger, B., Parson, R., Clausen, J. et al. Chimerism in DNA of buccal swabs from recipients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantations: implications for forensic DNA testing. Int J Legal Med 127, 49–54 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-012-0687-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-012-0687-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation