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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology
Genetic identification of decomposed cadavers using nails as DNA source
Forensic Science International: Genetics, Volume 3, No. 1, Year 2008
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Description
Blood or muscle can be used as a DNA source for the genetic identification of recently deceased persons. If the post mortem interval increases, bones and teeth are used. In this case, collection and DNA isolation will be more difficult and time consuming. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of nails as an alternative DNA source for the genetic identification of decomposed cadavers. DNA extraction from 5 mg of fingernails from 7 volunteers using 1 h cell lysis in a standard buffer and a DNA purification on QIAamp DNA mini kit columns allowed to acquire a mean quantity of 100 ng DNA/mg nail. This was unexpected, as blood and muscle contain comparable amounts of DNA. Our protocol allowed to obtain full PowerPlex 16 DNA profiles from 10 cadavers characterized by post mortem intervals ranging from 5 days to more than 6 months. The good quality of these profiles indicated that DNA from nail is well preserved. In conclusion, nails are very easy to collect and contain large amounts of good quality DNA that can be extracted within a few hours. They may therefore represent an attractive DNA source not only for routine, but also for urgent genetic identification of decomposed cadavers. © 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Allouche, Mohamed
Tunisia, Tunis
Université de Tunis el Manar, Hôpital Charles Nicolle
Switzerland, Lausanne
Universitaires de Médecine Légale
Hamdoum, M.
Tunisia, Tunis
Université de Tunis el Manar, Hôpital Charles Nicolle
Mangin, Patrice
Switzerland, Lausanne
Universitaires de Médecine Légale
Castella, Vincent
Switzerland, Lausanne
Universitaires de Médecine Légale
Statistics
Citations: 39
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.fsigen.2008.07.008
ISSN:
18724973
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics