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Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court

Introduction to mtDNA

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zoomed in image of the end of hair follicle
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) (see reuse policy).

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis is useful in forensic cases in which nuclear DNA is insufficient for short tandem repeat (STR) typing. Shed body, head, and pubic hairs with no cellular material (hair follicle) attached to the root bulb and aged skeletal remains are the samples most commonly analyzed for mtDNA because nuclear DNA is not recoverable from these tissues.

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