Genetic Markers for Massively Parallel Sequencing in Forensics

• NCJ Number: 255182
• Journal: Forensic Science International Genetics Supplement Series Volume: 5 Dated: December 2015 Pages: E677-E679
• Author(s): Kenneth K. Kidd; William C. Speed; Sharon Wootton; Robert Lagare; Reina Langit; Eve Haigh; Joseph Chang; Andrew J. Pakstis
• Date Published: December 2015
• Length: 3 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2013-DN-BX-K023
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Award: High resolution SNP panels for forensic identification of ancestry, family, and phenotype.

Annotation

This article explains how massively parallel sequencing (MPS, aka NGS) is revolutionizing the field of forensics.

Abstract

Existing forensic short tandem repeat polymorphisms (STRPs) are more informative when typed by MPS. MPS also allows STRPs and forensic SNP panels to be multiplexed to add information on ancestry and phenotype to the identification information from STRPs. MPS also makes possible microhaplotypes: small segments of DNA (<300 bp) with two or more single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) unambiguously defining three or more haplotypes. Because a single sequence read can cover the expanse of the microhaplotype, these loci become phase-known codominant systems. The multiple alleles (haplotypes) provide much more information than a single SNP for the same effort. Data now available on 129 loci characterized on 55 populations from around the globe demonstrate that the majority of these microhaplotypes appear to be useful in forensics for individual identification, ancestry inference, estimating relationships, and especially deconvoluting mixtures. (publisher abstract modified)