Highlights
- •We evaluate the usefulness of SNP-microarrays in forensic DNA mixtures.
- •One can accurately identify the presence of an individual in complex DNA mixtures.
- •A set of 3000 SNPs is sufficient for achieving necessary accuracy.
Abstract
Common forensic and mass disaster scenarios present DNA evidence that comprises a
mixture of several contributors. Identifying the presence of an individual in such
mixtures has proven difficult. In the current study, we evaluate the practical usefulness
of currently available “off-the-shelf” SNP microarrays for such purposes. We found
that a set of 3000 SNPs specifically selected for this purpose can accurately identify
the presence of an individual in complex DNA mixtures of various compositions. For
example, individuals contributing as little as 5% to a complex DNA mixture can be
robustly identified even if the starting DNA amount was as little as 5.0 ng and had undergone whole-genome amplification (WGA) prior to SNP analysis. The work
presented in this study represents proof-of-principle that our previously proposed
approach, can work with real “forensic-type” samples. Furthermore, in the absence
of a low-density focused forensic SNP microarray, the use of standard, currently available
high-density SNP microarrays can be similarly used and even increase statistical power
due to the larger amount of available information.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 29, 2015
Accepted:
January 27,
2015
Received in revised form:
December 2,
2014
Received:
July 28,
2014
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
