Highlights
- •For the first time, a simultaneous mRNA/miRNA assay for body fluid identification was developed on capillary electrophoresis.
- •Assay showed reliable results for single samples, dilutions, and mixtures.
- •First application to older and degraded samples was successfully assessed.
Abstract
The body fluid identification of traces found at crime scenes is crucial in relation
of the circumstance of crime. For this reason, the body fluid identification (BFI)
by molecular biological methods has been increasingly investigated in recent decades.
Especially the use of messenger RNA (mRNA) has been established and validated by various
studies. mRNAs can resist degradation for several decades under dry and dark environmental
conditions, but degradation increases greatly e.g., in humid environments and UV radiation.
In contrast, the shorter and protein-protected micro RNAs (miRNAs) are less susceptible
to degradation, but not all potential markers are tissue-specific. The aim of this
study was to develop a simultaneous mRNA/miRNA multiplex assay to take advantage of
both types of RNA. The final assay was tested for various body fluids, dilutions,
and mixtures. To demonstrate the advantage of a combined mRNA/miRNA assay, older and
mostly degraded samples were examined and compared to an established mRNA assay. Initial
results from degraded samples show that tissue-specific miRNAs expected could be detected
for 93% of the degraded samples compared to mRNA markers with 25% of the mRNA assay.
The result is a simultaneous mRNA/miRNA multiplex assay on capillary electrophoresis
(CE) for the first time.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 13, 2022
Accepted:
April 11,
2022
Received in revised form:
April 8,
2022
Received:
March 9,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
