DNA analysis of digested tomato seeds in stomach contents.

Examination of stomach contents is one of the important steps in medical legal autopsy. Vegetative materials such as stems, roots, and seeds in stomach contents can be valuable evidence for providing investigative leads in death investigation. Currently, the identification of plant materials relies on microscopic and morphologic examination.

Validation of male-specific, 12-locus fluorescent short tandem repeat (STR) multiplex.

Y chromosome-specific short tandem repeat (Y-STR) analysis has become another widely accepted tool for human identification. The PowerPlex Y System is a fluorescent multiplex that includes the 12 loci: DYS19, DYS385a/b, DYS389I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DYS438 and DYS439. This panel of markers incorporates the 9-locus European minimal haplotype (EMH) loci recommended by the International Y-STR User Group and the 11-locus set recommended by the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM).

Twelve short tandem repeat loci Y chromosome haplotypes: genetic analysis on populations residing in North America.

A total of 2443 male individuals, previously typed for the 13 CODIS STR loci, distributed across the five North American population groups African American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic, and Native American were typed for the Y-STR loci DYS19, DYS385a/b, DYS389I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DYS438 and DYS439 using the PowerPlex Y System. All population samples were highly polymorphic for the 12 Y-STR loci with the marker DYS385a/b being the most polymorphic across all sample populations. The Native American population groups demonstrated the lowest genetic diversity, most notably at the DYS393 and DYS437 loci.

An organizational model of transcription factor binding sites for a histone promoter in D. melanogaster.

The Drosophila H2A-H2B histone spacer, a small region that functions as a bidirectional promoter for the gene pair, was used as a test sequence for generation of a computationally derived organizational model of transcription factor (TF) binding sites. Expression studies of the spacer revealed that it contains the necessary sequences to confer replication-dependent transcription in partially synchronized cells in culture. Informatics analysis of the spacer uncovered a number of binding sites for specific TFs, none of which had been previously associated with this particular promoter.

Validation of a male-specific, 12-locus fluorescent short tandem repeat (STR) multiplex.

Y chromosome-specific short tandem repeat (Y-STR) analysis has become another widely accepted tool for human identification. The PowerPlex Y System is a fluorescent multiplex that includes the 12 loci: DYS19, DYS385a/b, DYS389I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DYS438 and DYS439. This panel of markers incorporates the 9-locus European minimal haplotype (EMH) loci recommended by the International Y-STR User Group and the 11-locus set recommended by the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM).

An overview of DNA methods for the identification and individualization of marijuana.

The purpose of this review is to summarize the status of DNA-based methods for the identification and individualization of marijuana. In forensics, both identification of a substance as marijuana and the subsequent individualization of a sample may be desired for casework. Marijuana identification methods in the United States primarily include biochemical tests and, less frequently, DNA-based tests.

A simple DNA extraction method for marijuana samples used in amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis.

As a first step in developing a molecular method for the individualization of marijuana samples, we evaluated a plant DNA extraction kit. The QIAGEN plant DNeasy method uses a spin column format for recovery of DNA and is effective for obtaining high molecular weight DNA from leaf, flower (bud), and seed samples of marijuana. The average DNA yield was 125-500 ng per 100 milligrams of fresh plant tissue.

Fusion transcripts involving HMGA2 are not a common molecular mechanism in uterine leiomyomata with rearrangements in 12q15.

Uterine leiomyomata are one of several benign tumors characterized by frequent chromosomal rearrangement involving 12q15. The 12q15 rearrangement in leiomyomata typically is manifested as t(12;14)(q15;q23-24), which has been hypothesized to create pathobiologically significant fusion transcripts derived from HMGA2 and RAD51L1. To explore further this hypothesis, we mapped chromosomal breakpoints in 38 uterine leiomyomata with rearrangements involving 12q15 using fluorescence in situ hybridization.