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01-07-2010 | Original Article

qPCR and mtDNA SNP analysis of experimentally degraded hair samples and its application in forensic casework

Authors: Stephan Köhnemann, Petra Pennekamp, Peter Fritz Schmidt, Heidi Pfeiffer

Published in: International Journal of Legal Medicine | Issue 4/2010

Abstract

A mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) quantification PCR (qPCR) method was developed and applied in a study with experimentally degraded hair samples (first study) and in a criminal case (second study). In the first study, the amount of detectable mtDNA decreased drastically after an incubation time of 1 month on a moist tissue in a heating cabin at 37°C. In the second study, when the qPCR assay showed positive quantification results, further analysis of 32 mtDNA single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) via SNaPshot technique was always possible, indicating that successful mtDNA SNP analysis of forensic samples can be guaranteed by pre-screening samples with the qPCR described here.

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Title: qPCR and mtDNA SNP analysis of experimentally degraded hair samples and its application in forensic casework
Authors: Stephan Köhnemann
Petra Pennekamp
Peter Fritz Schmidt
Heidi Pfeiffer
Publication date: 01-07-2010
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: International Journal of Legal Medicine / Issue 4/2010
Print ISSN: 0937-9827
Electronic ISSN: 1437-1596
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-010-0466-0

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qPCR and mtDNA SNP analysis of experimentally degraded hair samples and its application in forensic casework

Abstract

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