Pressure-Based Alkaline Lysis With Immunocapture, a Method for Enhanced Recovery in Differential Extraction

• NCJ Number: 253321
• Journal: Electrophoresis Volume: 38 Issue: 21 Dated: 2017 Pages: 2777-2785
• Author(s): Vanessa Martinez; Deepthi Nori; Pero Dimsoski; Bruce McCord
• Date Published: 2017
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2011-NE-BX-K550
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Award: Rapid and selective extraction of male DNA from rape kits and other forensic evidence using pressure cycling

Annotation

This article describes a pressure-based protocol for differential extraction that has been optimized to provide a rapid and selective alternative to conventional differential extraction techniques, with the advantage of an increased recovery of genomic DNA.

Abstract

The protocol involves treating cotton swabs containing mixtures of sperm and vaginal epithelial cells with two sets of pressure treatment using a Barocycler NEP 2320 in alkaline conditions. This first step quantitatively and selectively removes female epithelial cells. The cotton swab is removed and further treated with alkali at 95 degrees Celsius for the removal of sperm cell DNA. The resultant solution provides a clean male profile at a 20:1 cell ratio. Furthermore, the inclusion of a pretreatment step involving immunomagnetic cell capture of the female cells, permits nearly complete isolation of male sperm cells at cell ratios of up to 200:1 female to male cells. (publisher abstract modified)