Abstract
A text on a pyrographically decorated gourd dated to 1793 explains that it contains
a handkerchief dipped with the blood of Louis XVI, king of France, after his execution.
Biochemical analyses confirmed that the material contained within the gourd was blood.
The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) and 2 (HVR2), the Y-chromosome
STR profile, some autosomal STR markers and a SNP in HERC2 gene associated to blue
eyes, were retrieved, and some results independently replicated in two different laboratories.
The uncommon mtDNA sequence retrieved can be attributed to a N1b haplotype, while
the novel Y-chromosome haplotype belongs to haplogroup G2a. The HERC2 gene showed
that the subject analyzed was a heterozygote, which is compatible with a blue-eyed
person, as king Louis XVI was. To confirm the identity of the subject, an analysis
of the dried heart of his son, Louis XVII, could be undertaken.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 12, 2010
Accepted:
September 15,
2010
Received in revised form:
August 14,
2010
Received:
July 9,
2010
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
