Highlights
- •Bone DNA samples from 80 skeletal remains were analysed using double qPCR and STR-typing.
- •Authors suggest to use at least two measurements of DNA concentration with kits with different primer variants.
- •Results may suggest a higher degradation rate of Y-chromosome comparing to autosomal DNA in some of the bone samples studied.
- •We strongly suggest that at least one of two qPCR should be based on an additional determination of the Y chromosome DI.
Abstract
In historical cases, ancient DNA investigations and missing persons identification,
teeth or bone samples are often the only and almost always the best biological material
available for DNA typing. On the other hand, DNA obtained from bone material may be
characterized by a high degradation index (DI) or its low content, or DNA tests cannot
be repeated due to bone piece size limitation. That is often the effect of the environment
in which the material was placed and the time during which exposure to unfavorable
environmental factors took place. Therefore, it is very important to use appropriate
procedures related to STR analysis. For our study, we selected 80 challenging bone
samples. The amount of DNA was compared in qPCR using Quantifiler™ Trio DNA Quantification
Kit and Investigator® Quantiplex® Pro RGQ. All qPCR results were confirmed by PCR-CE.
The results of DNA concentrations and the assigned degradation index (DI) differed
significantly within analyzed samples (~10%). Additionally, the Y-chromosome DI also
differed from the autosomal DI in the samples. The difference in degradation indexes
could explain the lower Y-chromosome amplification success rate compared to autosomal
e.g. during human identification process. The results indicate that performing two
DNA quantifications with the use of two different kits (primers sets) allows for a
much more precise evaluation of the DNA quality and quantity in the isolate. We suggest
that at least one of two suggested DNA concentration measurements should be based
on an additional determination of the Y chromosome degradation index. Altogether,
it allows for rational isolate management, especially when the volume is limited and
the sample is unique.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 26, 2022
Accepted:
July 25,
2022
Received in revised form:
June 30,
2022
Received:
February 15,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V.
