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Hamza M, Sankhyan D, Shukla S, Pandey P. Advances in body fluid identification: MiRNA markers as powerful tool. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:1223-1232. [PMID: 38467753 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-024-03202-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Body fluids are one of the most encountered types of evidence in any crime and are commonly used for identifying a person's identity. In addition to these, they are also useful in ascertaining the nature of crime by determining the ty pe of fluid such as blood, semen, saliva, urine etc. Body fluids collected from crime scenes are mostly found in degraded, trace amounts and/or mixed with other fluids. However, the existing immunological and enzyme-based methods used for differentiating these fluids show limited specificity and sensitivity in such cases. To overcome these challenges, a new method utilizing microRNA expression of the body fluids has been proposed. This method is believed to be non-destructive as well as sensitive in nature and researches have shown promising results for highly degraded samples as well. This systematic review focuses on and explores the use and reliability of miRNAs in body fluid identification. It also summarizes the researches conducted on various aspects of miRNA in terms of body fluid examination in forensic investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Hamza
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India
| | - Deeksha Sankhyan
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India.
| | - Saurabh Shukla
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India
| | - Preeti Pandey
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India
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2
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Alsaeed SA, Elrewieny NM, Eltokhy RAA, Mohamed MS, Khalil WKB, Shalby AB, Booles HF, Aboubakr HM. Analysis of MiR-20b, MIR-197 markers for differentiation between forensic body fluids encountered in sexual assault cases. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2024:10.1007/s12024-024-00831-6. [PMID: 38856935 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-024-00831-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Identifying body fluids can be a critical clue that aids in reconstructing the crime scene. Semen and vaginal fluid identification is crucial, especially in cases of sexual assault. The majority of forensic studies focused on identifying normal body fluids and neglected the expression variation of semen in pathology. To differentiate between vaginal fluids, fertile and infertile semen samples (oligospermia and azoospermia) using miR 20b and miR197. A total of 48 body fluid samples, divided as 16 vaginal fluids, 16 fertile semen, and 16 infertile semen samples (8 with oligospermia and 8 with azoospermia), were collected, and the expression levels of miR-20b and miR-197 were detected by the SYBR Green real-time quantitative PCR technique. Our results showed significant different expression of these miRNAs in normal semen compared to vaginal and infertile semen. Moreover, we designed a model based on Fisher's discriminant function to forecast the group affiliations of unidentified samples. With three novel equations, we were able to accurately distinguish between semen and vaginal fluid, fertile and infertile semen, and oligospermia and azoospermia semen samples with validation accuracy of 81.3%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. MiR-20b and miR-197 expression levels are efficient and appropriate markers to distinguish semen from vaginal fluid and to differentiate between fertile and infertile semen samples. However, the present study is a preliminary study based on clinical samples, and the potential role of these markers in differentiating real crime scene samples is still unknown, so we recommend further research to investigate these markers expression while using forensic samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shimaa Ahmed Alsaeed
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Kasr Alainy Street, Cairo, 11562, Egypt.
| | - Noha Maher Elrewieny
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Kasr Alainy Street, Cairo, 11562, Egypt
| | - Rabab Abdulmoez Amin Eltokhy
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Kasr Alainy Street, Cairo, 11562, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Shokr Mohamed
- Department of Andrology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Kasr Alainy Street, Cairo, 11562, Egypt
| | - Wagdy K B Khalil
- Department of Cell Biology, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Centre, P.O. Box 12622, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Aziza B Shalby
- Hormones Department, National Research Center, P.O. Box 12622, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hoda F Booles
- Department of Cell Biology, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Centre, P.O. Box 12622, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Heba Mohamed Aboubakr
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Kasr Alainy Street, Cairo, 11562, Egypt
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Liu Z, Yang J, Wang N, Liu J, Geng J, Zhu J, Cong B, Sun H, Wu R. Integrative lncRNA, circRNA, and mRNA analysis reveals expression profiles of six forensic body fluids/tissue. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:731-742. [PMID: 37994925 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03131-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
RNAs have attracted much attention in forensic body fluid/tissue identification (BFID) due to their tissue-specific expression characteristics. Among RNAs, long RNAs (e.g., mRNA) have a higher probability of containing more polymorphic sites that can be used to assign the specific donor of the body fluid/tissue. However, few studies have characterized their overall profiles in forensic science. In this study, we sequenced the transcriptomes of 30 samples from venous blood, menstrual blood, semen, saliva, vaginal secretion, and skin tissue, obtaining a comprehensive picture of mRNA, lncRNA, and circRNA profiles. A total of 90,305 mRNAs, 102,906 lncRNAs (including 19,549 novel lncRNAs), and 40,204 circRNAs were detected. RNA type distribution, length distribution, and expression distribution were presented according to their annotation and expression level, and many novel body fluid/tissue-specific RNA markers were identified. Furthermore, the cognate relations among the three RNAs were analyzed according to gene annotations. Finally, SNPs and InDels from RNA transcripts were genotyped, and 21,611 multi-SNP and 4,471 multi-InDel transcriptomic microhaplotypes (tMHs) were identified. These results provide a comprehensive understanding of transcriptome profiles, which could provide new avenues for tracing the origin of the body fluid/tissue and identifying an individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyong Liu
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jingyi Yang
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Nana Wang
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jiajun Liu
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jiaojiao Geng
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jianzhang Zhu
- Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510440, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China.
| | - Hongyu Sun
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
| | - Riga Wu
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
- Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
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Li S, Liu J, Zhao M, Su Y, Cong B, Wang Z. RNA quality score evaluation: A preliminary study of RNA integrity number (RIN) and RNA integrity and quality number (RNA IQ). Forensic Sci Int 2024; 357:111976. [PMID: 38447345 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.111976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
In the past several years, with the in-depth development of RNA-related research, exploring the application of transcriptome and corresponding RNA biomarkers has become one of the research hotspots in the field of forensic science. High-quality RNA is essential for successful downstream workflows, especially in the steps of screening biomarkers by microarray or RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Thus, accurately evaluating the quality of RNA samples is a critical step in obtaining meaningful expression data. The RNA integrity number (RIN) generated from the Agilent Bioanalyzer system has been widely used for RNA quality control in the past two decades. Recently, Thermo Fisher Scientific launched a ratiometric fluorescence-based method to quickly check whether an RNA sample has degraded, and the results are presented as RNA integrity and quality number (RNA IQ). Both quality score systems determine RNA quality using a numerical system based on a scale of 1-10, with 1 denoting significantly degraded specimens and 10 representing high-quality, intact RNA samples. In this preliminary study, we evaluated the consistency, reproducibility and linearity of two quality scores in RNA quality determination by analyzing heat- and RNase- artificially degraded samples. Meanwhile, the expression levels of three microRNAs (hsa-let-7 g-5p, hsa-miR-93-5p and hsa-miR-191-5p) in intact and severely degraded RNA samples were estimated by TaqMan-qPCR and droplet digital PCR. Overall, both quality scores showed good repeatability and reproducibility in their respective tests. In the samples subjected to thermal degradation, RIN showed a trend corresponding to heating time, while RNA IQ value showed almost no change on the time gradient. However, in RNase A mediated degradation, RNA IQ value observed better linearity. Furthermore, the expression levels of three microRNAs in the severely degraded samples did not show significant changes compared to the intact RNA samples. RNA degradation is a very complex and highly variable process, which is difficult to comprehensively evaluate through any one index and cannot directly compare these two parameters. Nevertheless, combined with previous research results and the expression levels of three microRNAs in this study, analyzing RNA biomarkers with stable regions or small sizes in challenged samples may be a conservative and reliable approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suyu Li
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Mengyao Zhao
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yonglin Su
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Bin Cong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050017, China.
| | - Zheng Wang
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
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Song B, Qian J, Fu J. Research progress and potential application of microRNA and other non-coding RNAs in forensic medicine. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:329-350. [PMID: 37770641 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03091-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
At present, epigenetic markers have been extensively studied in various fields and have a high value in forensic medicine due to their unique mode of inheritance, which does not involve DNA sequence alterations. As an epigenetic phenomenon that plays an important role in gene expression, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) act as key factors mediating gene silencing, participating in cell division, and regulating immune response and other important biological processes. With the development of molecular biology, genetics, bioinformatics, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, ncRNAs such as microRNA (miRNA), circular RNA (circRNA), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), and P-element induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNA (piRNA) are increasingly been shown to have potential in the practice of forensic medicine. NcRNAs, mainly miRNA, may provide new strategies and methods for the identification of tissues and body fluids, cause-of-death analysis, time-related estimation, age estimation, and the identification of monozygotic twins. In this review, we describe the research progress and application status of ncRNAs, mainly miRNA, and other ncRNAs such as circRNA, lncRNA, and piRNA, in forensic practice, including the identification of tissues and body fluids, cause-of-death analysis, time-related estimation, age estimation, and the identification of monozygotic twins. The close links between ncRNAs and forensic medicine are presented, and their research values and application prospects in forensic medicine are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binghui Song
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, the Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Laboratory of Precision Medicine and DNA Forensic Medicine, the Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Jie Qian
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, the Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Laboratory of Precision Medicine and DNA Forensic Medicine, the Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Junjiang Fu
- Key Laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, the Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
- Laboratory of Precision Medicine and DNA Forensic Medicine, the Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
- Laboratory of Forensic DNA, the Judicial Authentication Center, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
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Lewis CA, Seashols-Williams SJ. A combined molecular approach utilizing microbial DNA and microRNAs in a qPCR multiplex for the classification of five forensically relevant body fluids. J Forensic Sci 2024; 69:282-290. [PMID: 37818748 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.15400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Body fluid identification is an essential step in the forensic biology workflow that can assist DNA analysts in determining where to collect DNA evidence. Current presumptive tests lack the specificity that molecular techniques can achieve; therefore, molecular methods, including microRNA (miRNA) and microbial signature characterization, have been extensively researched in the forensic community. Limitations of each method suggest combining molecular markers to increase the discrimination efficiency of multiple body fluids from a single assay. While microbial signatures have been successful in identifying fluids with high bacterial abundances, microRNAs have shown promise in fluids with low microbial abundance (blood and semen). This project synergized the benefits of microRNAs and microbial DNA to identify multiple body fluids using DNA extracts. A reverse transcription (RT)-qPCR duplex targeting miR-891a and let-7g was validated, and miR-891a differential expression was significantly different between blood and semen. The miRNA duplex was incorporated into a previously reported qPCR multiplex targeting 16S rRNA genes of Lactobacillus crispatus, Bacteroides uniformis, and Streptococcus salivarius to presumptively identify vaginal/menstrual secretions, feces, and saliva, respectively. The combined classification regression tree model resulted in the presumptive classification of five body fluids with 94.6% overall accuracy, now including blood and semen identification. These results provide proof of concept that microRNAs and microbial DNA can classify multiple body fluids simultaneously at the quantification step of the current forensic DNA workflow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn A Lewis
- Integrative Life Sciences Doctoral Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
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Chen H, Hu S, Yang R, Hu S, Yao Q, Zhao Y, Lian J, Ji A, Cao Y, Sun Q. The screening and validation process of miR-223-3p for saliva identification. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2023; 65:102312. [PMID: 37603982 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2023.102312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
More accurate identification of the types of body fluids left at a crime scene is indispensable for improving the judicial chain of evidence. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have become recognized as ideal molecular markers for the identification of body fluids in forensic science due to their short length, stability and high tissue specificity. In this study, small RNA sequencing was performed on 20 samples of five types of body fluids (peripheral blood, menstrual blood, saliva, semen, and vaginal secretions) with the BGISEQ-500 sequencing platform, and the specific miRNA markers of saliva and vaginal secretions were screened by bioinformatics methods, including differential expression analysis and significant enrichment analysis. Through RT-qPCR validation of 169 samples, we confirmed that miR-223-3p can be used as a saliva-specific marker. In addition, we considered miR-223-3p in combination with four other miRNA molecules (miR-451a, miR-891a-5p, miR-144-5p, miR-203a-3p) that had been previously screened and verified in our laboratory, and seven body fluid prediction models based on machine learning algorithms were constructed and verified. The results showed that a kernel density estimation (KDE) model based on the five miRNA markers for body fluid identification could achieve 100% accuracy in the samples tested in the present study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huixiang Chen
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China; Faculty of Forensic Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, China
| | - Sheng Hu
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China
| | - Rui Yang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Shuxiao Hu
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China; School of Investigation, People's Public Security University of China, Beijing 100038, China
| | - Qianwei Yao
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China; Faculty of Forensic Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, China
| | - Yixia Zhao
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China
| | - Jie Lian
- School of Investigation, People's Public Security University of China, Beijing 100038, China
| | - Anquan Ji
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China.
| | - Yang Cao
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
| | - Qifan Sun
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China.
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Ingram S, DeCorte A, Gentry AE, Philpott MK, Moldenhauer T, Stadler S, Steinberg C, Millman J, Ehrhardt CJ. Differentiation of vaginal cells from epidermal cells using morphological and autofluorescence properties: Implications for sexual assault casework involving digital penetration. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2023; 66:102909. [PMID: 37399646 PMCID: PMC10528675 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.102909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Analysis of DNA mixtures from sexual assault evidence is an ongoing challenge for DNA casework laboratories. To assist the forensic scientist address source and activity level propositions there is a significant need for new techniques that can provide information as to the source of DNA, particularly for sexual assault samples that do not involve semen. The goal of this study was to develop a new biological signature system that provides additional probative value to samples comprised of mixtures of epidermal and vaginal cells, as may be observed in cases involving digital penetration. Signatures were based on morphological and autofluorescence properties of individual cells collected through Imaging Flow Cytometry (IFC). Comparisons to reference cell populations from vaginal tissue and epidermal cells collected from hands showed strong multivariate differences across > 80 cellular measurements. These differences were used to build a predictive framework for classifying unknown cell populations as originating from epithelial cells associated with digital penetration or epidermal tissue. As part of the classification scheme, posterior probabilities of specific tissue group membership were calculated for each cell, along with multivariate similarity to that tissue type. We tested this approach on cell populations from reference tissue as well as mock casework samples involving hand swabbings following digital vaginal penetration. Many more cells classifying as non-epidermal tissue were detected in digital penetration hand swab samples than control hand swabbings. Minimum interpretation thresholds were developed to minimize false positives; these thresholds were also effective when screening licked hands, indicating the potential utility of this method for a variety of biological mixture types and depositional events relevant to forensic casework. Results showed that samples collected subsequent to digital penetration possessed markedly higher numbers of cells classifying as vaginal tissue as well as higher posterior probabilities for vaginal tissue (≥ 0.90) compared to cell populations collected from hands without prior contact with vaginal tissue. Additionally, digital penetration cell populations may be resolved from saliva cell populations and other non-target tissue types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Ingram
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - Arianna DeCorte
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - Amanda Elswick Gentry
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - M Katherine Philpott
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - Taylor Moldenhauer
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - Sonja Stadler
- Centre of Forensic Sciences, 70 Foster Drive, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 6V3, Canada
| | - Cory Steinberg
- Centre of Forensic Sciences, 70 Foster Drive, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 6V3, Canada
| | - Jonathan Millman
- Centre of Forensic Sciences, 25 Morton Shulman Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M3M 0B1, Canada
| | - Christopher J Ehrhardt
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA.
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Yehui L, Zhihong L, Fang T, Zixuan Z, Mengyuan Z, Zhifang Y, Jiuhong Z. Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research on Circular RNA: Current Status and Future Directions. Mol Biotechnol 2023:10.1007/s12033-023-00830-y. [PMID: 37587318 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-023-00830-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have gained significant attention in recent years. This bibliometric analysis aimed to provide insights into the current state and future trends of global circRNA research. The scientific output on circRNAs from 2010 to 2022 was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection with circRNA-related terms as the subjects. Key bibliometric indicators were calculated and evaluated using CiteSpace. A total of 7385 studies on circRNAs were identified. The output and citation number have increased rapidly after 2015. China, the USA, and Germany were top three publishing countries. Currently, circCDR1as, circHIPK3, circPVT1, circSHPRH, and circZNF609 are the most studied circRNAs; and all are related to cancer. The theme of research have shifted from transcript, exon circularization and miRNA sponge topics to the transcriptome, tumor suppressor, and biomarkers, indicating that research interests have evolved from basic to applied research. CircRNAs will continue to be a highly active research area in the near future. From the current understanding of circRNA characterization and regulatory mechanisms as miRNA sponges in cancer, future directions may examine potential diagnostic and therapeutic roles of circRNAs in cancers or the function and mechanism of circRNAs in other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lv Yehui
- Institute of Wound Prevention and Treatment, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, School of Fundamental Medicine, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Zhihong
- Institute of Wound Prevention and Treatment, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, School of Fundamental Medicine, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Tong Fang
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, School of Fundamental Medicine, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, School of Fundamental Medicine, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zeng Zixuan
- Institute of Wound Prevention and Treatment, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhang Mengyuan
- Institute of Wound Prevention and Treatment, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Zhifang
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, School of Fundamental Medicine, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, School of Fundamental Medicine, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhao Jiuhong
- Institute of Wound Prevention and Treatment, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, School of Fundamental Medicine, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China.
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10
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Rhodes C, Lewis C, Price K, Valentine A, Creighton MRA, Boone E, Seashols-Williams S. Evaluation and Verification of a microRNA Panel Using Quadratic Discriminant Analysis for the Classification of Human Body Fluids in DNA Extracts. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14050968. [PMID: 37239328 DOI: 10.3390/genes14050968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
There is significant interest in the use of miRNA analysis for forensic body fluid identification. Demonstrated co-extraction and detection in DNA extracts could make the use of miRNAs a more streamlined molecular body fluid identification method than other RNA-based methods. We previously reported a reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) panel of eight miRNAs that classified venous and menstrual blood, feces, urine, saliva, semen, and vaginal secretions using a quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) model with 93% accuracy in RNA extracts. Herein, miRNA expression in DNA extracts from 50 donors of each body fluid were tested using the model. Initially, a classification rate of 87% was obtained, which increased to 92% when three additional miRNAs were added. Body fluid identification was found to be reliable across population samples of mixed ages, ethnicities, and sex, with 72-98% of the unknown samples classifying correctly. The model was then tested against compromised samples and over biological cycles, where classification accuracy varied, depending on the body fluid. In conclusion, we demonstrated the ability to classify body fluids using miRNA expression from DNA extracts, eliminating the need for RNA extraction, greatly reducing evidentiary sample consumption and processing time in forensic laboratories, but acknowledge that compromised semen and saliva samples can fail to classify properly, and mixed sample classification remains untested and may have limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciara Rhodes
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 843079, 1015 Floyd Ave., Richmond, VA 23284-3079, USA
- Integrative Life Sciences Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 842030, 1000 West Cary St., Richmond, VA 23284-2030, USA
| | - Carolyn Lewis
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 843079, 1015 Floyd Ave., Richmond, VA 23284-3079, USA
- Integrative Life Sciences Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 842030, 1000 West Cary St., Richmond, VA 23284-2030, USA
| | - Kelsey Price
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 843079, 1015 Floyd Ave., Richmond, VA 23284-3079, USA
| | - Anaya Valentine
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 843079, 1015 Floyd Ave., Richmond, VA 23284-3079, USA
| | - Mary-Randall A Creighton
- Center for Biological Data Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 842030, 1015 Floyd Ave., Richmond, VA 23284-2030, USA
| | - Edward Boone
- Department of Statistical Sciences and Operations Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 843083, 1015 Floyd Ave., Richmond, VA 23284-3083, USA
| | - Sarah Seashols-Williams
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 843079, 1015 Floyd Ave., Richmond, VA 23284-3079, USA
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11
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Ingram S, DeCorte A, Gentry A, Philpott MK, Moldenhauer T, Stadler S, Steinberg C, Millman J, Ehrhardt CJ. Differentiation of vaginal cells from epidermal cells using morphological and autofluorescence properties: Implications for sexual assault casework involving digital penetration. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.30.534941. [PMID: 37034789 PMCID: PMC10081290 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.30.534941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Analysis of DNA mixtures from sexual assault evidence is an ongoing challenge for DNA casework laboratories. There is a significant need for new techniques that can provide information as to the source of DNA, particularly for sexual assault samples that do not involve semen. The goal of this study was to develop a new biological signature system that provides additional probative value to samples comprised of mixtures of epidermal and vaginal cells, as may be observed in cases involving digital penetration. Signatures were based on morphological and autofluorescence properties of individual cells collected through Imaging Flow Cytometry (IFC). Comparisons to reference cell populations from vaginal tissue and epidermal cells collected from hands showed strong multivariate differences across >80 cellular measurements. These differences were used to build a predictive framework for classifying unknown cell populations as originating from epithelial cells associated with digital penetration or epidermal tissue. As part of the classification scheme, posterior probabilities of specific tissue group membership were calculated for each cell, along with multivariate similarity to that tissue type. We tested this approach on cell populations from reference tissue as well as mock casework samples involving digital penetration. Many more cells classifying as non-epidermal tissue were detected in digital penetration samples than control hand swabbings. Minimum interpretation thresholds were developed to minimize false positives; these thresholds were also effective when screening licked hands, indicating the potential utility of this method for a variety of biological mixture types and depositional events relevant to forensic casework. Results showed that samples collected subsequent to digital penetration possessed markedly higher numbers of cells classifying as vaginal tissue as well as higher posterior probabilities for vaginal tissue (≥ 0.90) compared to cell populations collected from hands without prior contact with vaginal tissue. Additionally, digital penetration cell populations may be resolved from saliva cell populations and other non-target tissue types.
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12
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Wei S, Hu S, Han N, Wang G, Chen H, Yao Q, Zhao Y, Ye J, Ji A, Sun Q. Screening and evaluation of endogenous reference genes for miRNA expression analysis in forensic body fluid samples. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2023; 63:102827. [PMID: 36642061 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.102827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNA (miRNA)-based methods for body fluid identification are promising tools in the practice of forensic science. The selection of appropriate endogenous reference genes as normalizers for the relative quantification of miRNA expression levels using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RTqPCR) is essential to avoid errors and improve the comparability of miRNA expression level data among different body fluids. In this study, small RNAs were isolated from individual donations of five forensically relevant body fluids (peripheral blood, menstrual blood, saliva, semen and vaginal secretions). Thirty-seven samples were subjected to high-throughput miRNA sequencing. By combining our results with those obtained through a literature investigation, 28 candidate RNAs were identified. Following RTqPCR validation, the candidate RNAs were preliminarily evaluated in 15 samples to exclude miRNAs with low expression and high variation. Then, the expression levels of 10 relatively stable candidate reference RNAs in 100 samples were determined and further analysed using four commonly employed programs (geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and ΔCq). According to the comprehensive stability rankings of the four algorithms, miR-320a-3p was validated as the most stable endogenous reference gene among the five forensically relevant body fluids, followed by miR-484, SNORD43, miR-320c and RNU6b. Moreover, the combined application of miR-320a-3p with RNU6b could increase the normalization effect. In addition, a total of 56 mock samples placed outdoors and indoors for different times were prepared to further evaluate the stability of candidate reference RNAs, and miR-320a-3p remained the preferred reference gene. Furthermore, the relative expression levels of publicly accepted body fluid-specific miRNAs were determined in 30 samples to verify the practicality and effectiveness of the reference genes. Our results revealed a set of alternative reference genes and could promote the development and application of miRNA-based body fluid identification by determining optional reference genes for strict normalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunxiang Wei
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China; Faculty of Forensic Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng Hu
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China
| | - Na Han
- Chinese Center For Disease Control And Prevention, State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Guoli Wang
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China; Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, Shandong, China
| | - Huixiang Chen
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China; Faculty of Forensic Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Qianwei Yao
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China; Faculty of Forensic Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yixia Zhao
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China
| | - Jian Ye
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China
| | - Anquan Ji
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China.
| | - Qifan Sun
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security (MPS), Beijing 100038, China.
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13
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Chen JW, Shrestha L, Green G, Leier A, Marquez-Lago TT. The hitchhikers' guide to RNA sequencing and functional analysis. Brief Bioinform 2023; 24:bbac529. [PMID: 36617463 PMCID: PMC9851315 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA and RNA sequencing technologies have revolutionized biology and biomedical sciences, sequencing full genomes and transcriptomes at very high speeds and reasonably low costs. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) enables transcript identification and quantification, but once sequencing has concluded researchers can be easily overwhelmed with questions such as how to go from raw data to differential expression (DE), pathway analysis and interpretation. Several pipelines and procedures have been developed to this effect. Even though there is no unique way to perform RNA-Seq analysis, it usually follows these steps: 1) raw reads quality check, 2) alignment of reads to a reference genome, 3) aligned reads' summarization according to an annotation file, 4) DE analysis and 5) gene set analysis and/or functional enrichment analysis. Each step requires researchers to make decisions, and the wide variety of options and resulting large volumes of data often lead to interpretation challenges. There also seems to be insufficient guidance on how best to obtain relevant information and derive actionable knowledge from transcription experiments. In this paper, we explain RNA-Seq steps in detail and outline differences and similarities of different popular options, as well as advantages and disadvantages. We also discuss non-coding RNA analysis, multi-omics, meta-transcriptomics and the use of artificial intelligence methods complementing the arsenal of tools available to researchers. Lastly, we perform a complete analysis from raw reads to DE and functional enrichment analysis, visually illustrating how results are not absolute truths and how algorithmic decisions can greatly impact results and interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiung-Wen Chen
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Lisa Shrestha
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - George Green
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - André Leier
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Tatiana T Marquez-Lago
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
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14
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Carratto TMT, Moraes VMS, Recalde TSF, Oliveira MLGD, Teixeira Mendes-Junior C. Applications of massively parallel sequencing in forensic genetics. Genet Mol Biol 2022; 45:e20220077. [PMID: 36121926 PMCID: PMC9514793 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2022-0077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Massively parallel sequencing, also referred to as next-generation sequencing, has positively changed DNA analysis, allowing further advances in genetics. Its capability of dealing with low quantity/damaged samples makes it an interesting instrument for forensics. The main advantage of MPS is the possibility of analyzing simultaneously thousands of genetic markers, generating high-resolution data. Its detailed sequence information allowed the discovery of variations in core forensic short tandem repeat loci, as well as the identification of previous unknown polymorphisms. Furthermore, different types of markers can be sequenced in a single run, enabling the emergence of DIP-STRs, SNP-STR haplotypes, and microhaplotypes, which can be very useful in mixture deconvolution cases. In addition, the multiplex analysis of different single nucleotide polymorphisms can provide valuable information about identity, biogeographic ancestry, paternity, or phenotype. DNA methylation patterns, mitochondrial DNA, mRNA, and microRNA profiling can also be analyzed for different purposes, such as age inference, maternal lineage analysis, body-fluid identification, and monozygotic twin discrimination. MPS technology also empowers the study of metagenomics, which analyzes genetic material from a microbial community to obtain information about individual identification, post-mortem interval estimation, geolocation inference, and substrate analysis. This review aims to discuss the main applications of MPS in forensic genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thássia Mayra Telles Carratto
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Química, Laboratório de Pesquisas Forenses e Genômicas, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Vitor Matheus Soares Moraes
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Química, Laboratório de Pesquisas Forenses e Genômicas, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | - Celso Teixeira Mendes-Junior
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Química, Laboratório de Pesquisas Forenses e Genômicas, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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15
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A Comprehensive Characterization of Small RNA Profiles by Massively Parallel Sequencing in Six Forensic Body Fluids/Tissue. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13091530. [PMID: 36140698 PMCID: PMC9498867 DOI: 10.3390/genes13091530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Body fluids/tissue identification (BFID) is an essential procedure in forensic practice, and RNA profiling has become one of the most important methods. Small non-coding RNAs, being expressed in high copy numbers and resistant to degradation, have great potential in BFID but have not been comprehensively characterized in common forensic stains. In this study, the miRNA, piRNA, snoRNA, and snRNA were sequenced in 30 forensic relevant samples (menstrual blood, saliva, semen, skin, venous blood, and vaginal secretion) using the BGI platform. Based on small RNA profiles, relative specific markers (RSM) and absolute specific markers (ASM) were defined, which can be used to identify a specific body fluid/tissue out of two or six, respectively. A total of 5204 small RNAs were discovered including 1394 miRNAs (including 236 novel miRNA), 3157 piRNAs, 636 snoRNAs, and 17 snRNAs. RSMs for 15 pairwise body fluid/tissue groups were discovered by differential RNA analysis. In addition, 90 ASMs that were specifically expressed in a certain type of body fluid/tissue were screened, among them, snoRNAs were reported first in forensic genetics. In brief, our study deepened the understanding of small RNA profiles in forensic stains and offered potential BFID markers that can be applied in different forensic scenarios.
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16
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Grätz C, Bui MLU, Thaqi G, Kirchner B, Loewe RP, Pfaffl MW. Obtaining Reliable RT-qPCR Results in Molecular Diagnostics—MIQE Goals and Pitfalls for Transcriptional Biomarker Discovery. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12030386. [PMID: 35330136 PMCID: PMC8953338 DOI: 10.3390/life12030386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we discuss the development pipeline for transcriptional biomarkers in molecular diagnostics and stress the importance of a reliable gene transcript quantification strategy. Hence, a further focus is put on the MIQE guidelines and how to adapt them for biomarker discovery, from signature validation up to routine diagnostic applications. First, the advantages and pitfalls of the holistic RNA sequencing for biomarker development will be described to establish a candidate biomarker signature. Sequentially, the RT-qPCR confirmation process will be discussed to validate the discovered biomarker signature. Examples for the successful application of RT-qPCR as a fast and reproducible quantification method in routinemolecular diagnostics are provided. Based on the MIQE guidelines, the importance of “key steps” in RT-qPCR is accurately described, e.g., reverse transcription, proper reference gene selection and, finally, the application of automated RT-qPCR data analysis software. In conclusion, RT-qPCR proves to be a valuable tool in the establishment of a disease-specific transcriptional biomarker signature and will have a great future in molecular diagnostics or personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Grätz
- Department of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Weihenstephaner Berg 3, 85354 Freising, Germany; (C.G.); (M.L.U.B.); (G.T.); (B.K.)
- GeneSurge GmbH, Ottostr. 3, 80333 München, Germany;
| | - Maria L. U. Bui
- Department of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Weihenstephaner Berg 3, 85354 Freising, Germany; (C.G.); (M.L.U.B.); (G.T.); (B.K.)
- GeneSurge GmbH, Ottostr. 3, 80333 München, Germany;
| | - Granit Thaqi
- Department of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Weihenstephaner Berg 3, 85354 Freising, Germany; (C.G.); (M.L.U.B.); (G.T.); (B.K.)
| | - Benedikt Kirchner
- Department of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Weihenstephaner Berg 3, 85354 Freising, Germany; (C.G.); (M.L.U.B.); (G.T.); (B.K.)
- GeneSurge GmbH, Ottostr. 3, 80333 München, Germany;
| | | | - Michael W. Pfaffl
- Department of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Weihenstephaner Berg 3, 85354 Freising, Germany; (C.G.); (M.L.U.B.); (G.T.); (B.K.)
- Correspondence: or
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17
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Rhodes C, Lewis C, Szekely J, Campbell A, Creighton MRA, Boone E, Seashols-Williams S. Developmental validation of a microRNA panel using quadratic discriminant analysis for the classification of seven forensically relevant body fluids. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2022; 59:102692. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2022.102692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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18
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Qian J, Zhang Q, Liu M, Wang Y, Lu M. A portable system for isothermal amplification and detection of exosomal microRNAs. Biosens Bioelectron 2022; 196:113707. [PMID: 34695686 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2021.113707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) play a key role in cell-cell communication to regulate gene expression in target cells and have great potential as biomarkers for disease diagnosis. This paper reports an on-chip exosomal miRNA amplification and detection system for rapid analysis of exosomal miRNAs. The compact system consists of two connected flow cells for processing exosomes and detecting miRNAs, respectively. The miRNAs extracted from exosomes were quantitatively measured using the on-chip exponential amplification reaction (EXPAR) assay. The sensor chip was designed to store multiple oligonucleotide templates for the EXPAR, mix sample and reagent, and simultaneously analyze multiple exosomal miRNAs of interest. To facilitate the miRNA analysis, a portable detection instrument was built on an IoT platform using a low-cost microcontroller to execute the EXPAR assay, collect fluorescent images, and analyze amplification curves. Here, we studied the miRNA profiles carried by exosomes derived from three different phenotypes of tissue macrophages. The affordable instrument, rapid assay, multiplexed analysis, as well as disposable sensor chip, would boost the development of point-of-care liquid biopsy tests using exosomal miRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Qian
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Qinming Zhang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Mingdian Liu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Yixuan Wang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Meng Lu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
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19
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Davidovics R, Saw YL, Brown CO, Prinz M, McKiernan HE, Danielson PB, Legg KM. High-throughput seminal fluid identification by automated immunoaffinity mass spectrometry. J Forensic Sci 2022; 67:1184-1190. [PMID: 35023573 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.14975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The identification of semen during a criminal investigation may be a critical component in the prosecution of a sexual assault. Commonly employed enzymatic and affinity-based methods for detection lack specificity, are time-consuming, and only provide a presumptive indication that semen is present where microscopic visualization is unable to meet the throughput demands. Contrary to traditional approaches, protein mass spectrometry provides true confirmatory results, but multiday sample preparation and nanoflow sample separation requirements have limited the practical applicability of these approaches. Aiming at streamlining sexual assault screening by mass spectrometry, the work here coupled a 60-minute rapid tryptic digestion, semenogelin-II peptide affinity purification on an Agilent AssayMap Bravo automation platform, and a 3-minute targeted LC-MS/MS method on an Agilent 6495 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in multiple reaction monitoring mode for detecting semenogelin-II peptides in sexual assault samples. The developed assay was assessed using casework-type samples and was successful in detecting trace levels (0.0001 μl) of semen recovered from both cotton and vaginal swabs, as well as semen recovered from vaginal swabs during menses or adulterated with personal lubricants. This work represents a promising technique for high-throughput seminal fluid identification in sexual assault-type samples by mass spectrometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Davidovics
- NMS Labs, Horsham, Pennsylvania, USA.,College of Life Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Yih Ling Saw
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Arcadia University, Glenside, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Catherine O Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Denver, Denver, Colordo, USA
| | - Mechthild Prinz
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, New York, USA
| | - Heather E McKiernan
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Arcadia University, Glenside, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Phillip B Danielson
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Denver, Denver, Colordo, USA
| | - Kevin M Legg
- College of Life Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, USA
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20
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Sijen T, Harbison S. On the Identification of Body Fluids and Tissues: A Crucial Link in the Investigation and Solution of Crime. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1728. [PMID: 34828334 PMCID: PMC8617621 DOI: 10.3390/genes12111728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Body fluid and body tissue identification are important in forensic science as they can provide key evidence in a criminal investigation and may assist the court in reaching conclusions. Establishing a link between identifying the fluid or tissue and the DNA profile adds further weight to this evidence. Many forensic laboratories retain techniques for the identification of biological fluids that have been widely used for some time. More recently, many different biomarkers and technologies have been proposed for identification of body fluids and tissues of forensic relevance some of which are now used in forensic casework. Here, we summarize the role of body fluid/ tissue identification in the evaluation of forensic evidence, describe how such evidence is detected at the crime scene and in the laboratory, elaborate different technologies available to do this, and reflect real life experiences. We explain how, by including this information, crucial links can be made to aid in the investigation and solution of crime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Titia Sijen
- Division Human Biological Traces, Netherlands Forensic Institute, Laan van Ypenburg 6, 2497 GB The Hague, The Netherlands
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - SallyAnn Harbison
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited, Private Bag 92021, Auckland 1142, New Zealand;
- Department of Statistics, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
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21
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Developments in forensic DNA analysis. Emerg Top Life Sci 2021; 5:381-393. [PMID: 33792660 PMCID: PMC8457771 DOI: 10.1042/etls20200304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The analysis of DNA from biological evidence recovered in the course of criminal investigations can provide very powerful evidence when a recovered profile matches one found on a DNA database or generated from a suspect. However, when no profile match is found, when the amount of DNA in a sample is too low, or the DNA too degraded to be analysed, traditional STR profiling may be of limited value. The rapidly expanding field of forensic genetics has introduced various novel methodologies that enable the analysis of challenging forensic samples, and that can generate intelligence about the donor of a biological sample. This article reviews some of the most important recent advances in the field, including the application of massively parallel sequencing to the analysis of STRs and other marker types, advancements in DNA mixture interpretation, particularly the use of probabilistic genotyping methods, the profiling of different RNA types for the identification of body fluids, the interrogation of SNP markers for predicting forensically relevant phenotypes, epigenetics and the analysis of DNA methylation to determine tissue type and estimate age, and the emerging field of forensic genetic genealogy. A key challenge will be for researchers to consider carefully how these innovations can be implemented into forensic practice to ensure their potential benefits are maximised.
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22
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Li Z, Lv M, Peng D, Xiao X, Fang Z, Wang Q, Tian H, Zha L, Wang L, Tan Y, Liang W, Zhang L. Feasibility of using probabilistic methods to analyse microRNA quantitative data in forensically relevant body fluids: a proof-of-principle study. Int J Legal Med 2021; 135:2247-2261. [PMID: 34477924 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-021-02678-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have confirmed that microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising markers for body fluid identification since they were introduced to this field. However, there is no consensus on the choice of reference genes and identification strategies. In this study, 13 potential candidate miRNAs were screened from three forensically relevant body fluid datasets, and the expression of 12 markers in five body fluids was determined using a real-time quantitative method. Two probabilistic approaches, Naive Bayes (NB) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), were then applied to predict the origin of the samples to determine whether probabilistic methods are helpful in body fluid identification using miRNA quantitative data. Furthermore, 14 reference combinations were used to validate the influence of different reference choices on the predicted results simultaneously. Our results showed that in the NB model, leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) achieved 100% accuracy and the prediction accuracy of the test set was 100% in most reference combinations. In the PLS-DA model, the first two components could interpret about 80% expression variance and LOOCV achieved 100% accuracy when miR-92a-3p was used as the reference. This study preliminarily proved that probabilistic approaches hold huge potential in miRNA-based body fluid identification, and the choice of references influences the prediction results to a certain extent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhilong Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Translational Medicine, Center for Translational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Meili Lv
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Duo Peng
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao Xiao
- Department of Obstetric and Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhuangyan Fang
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 10000, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Huan Tian
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Lagabaiyila Zha
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410013, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Obstetric and Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Tan
- Department of Obstetric and Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Weibo Liang
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China.
| | - Lin Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Translational Medicine, Center for Translational Medicine, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China. .,Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People's Republic of China.
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23
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Tian H, Huang S, Bai P, Xiao X, Peng D, Zhao H, Liu Y, Feng Q, Liao M, Li F, Liang W. The effect of infertile semen on the mRNA-based body fluid identification. Electrophoresis 2021; 42:1614-1622. [PMID: 34233021 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202000238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In the past decade, mRNA markers have been well demonstrated as promising molecular markers in forensic body fluid identification (BFI), and successfully used in wide applications. Several studies have assessed the performance of semen-specific mRNA markers in distinguishing semen from other common body fluids at the crime scene. Infertility has been reported as a global health problem that is affecting approximately 15% of couples worldwide. Therefore, it is important for forensic researchers to consider the impact of infertility on semen identification. This study aimed to explore the effect of semen from infertile men (hereinafter "infertile semen") on BFI and to identify semen-specific mRNAs that can efficiently and accurately distinguish normal and infertile semen samples from other body fluids. Results showed that the selected five mRNAs (KLK3, TGM4, SEMG1, PRM1, and PRM2) performed a significantly high semen specificity in normal semen. Moreover, KLK3 was slightly influenced by infertile semen samples with over 98% positive results in all semen samples. The accuracy to predict normal semen reached up to 96.6% using the discrimination function Y1 with KLK3 and PRM1. However, when the infertile semen samples were included in discrimination function (function Y2 with KLK3), the accuracy rate of semen identification (including the normal and infertile semen) was down to 89.5%. Besides, the sensitivity of multiplex assay could reach down to 50pg. Our results suggest that it is important to consider the presence of infertile semen when using mRNAs to identify semen samples, which would have a far-reaching impact in forensic identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Tian
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Sicheng Huang
- Institute of Forensic Science, Chengdu Public Security Bureau, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Peng Bai
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Xiao Xiao
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Duo Peng
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Huan Zhao
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Yuqing Liu
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Qian Feng
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Miao Liao
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Fuping Li
- Human Sperm Bank, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Weibo Liang
- Department of Forensic Genetics, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, P. R. China
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24
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McKiernan HE, Danielson PB, Brown CO, Signaevsky M, Westring CG, Legg KM. Developmental validation of a multiplex proteomic assay for the identification of forensically relevant biological fluids. Forensic Sci Int 2021; 326:110908. [PMID: 34311288 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to validate a multiplex proteomic assay for the identification of high-specificity protein biomarkers by multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer for the accurate, reliable, and confirmatory identification of bodily fluids commonly encountered in a forensic context. This includes the identification of peripheral blood, semen, saliva, urine, and vaginal/menstrual fluid. The assay is able to efficiently identify pure or mixed stains through the identification of target peptide fragments originating from tissue-specific proteins including: uromodulin from urine; prostatic acid phosphatase, prostate specific antigen and semenogelin-II for semen; statherin, submaxillary gland androgen-regulated protein 3B and amylase for saliva; cornulin, martrigel-induced gene C4 protein, suprabasin and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin for vaginal/menstrual fluid; and alpha-1 antitrypsin, hemopexin, and hemoglobin subunit beta for peripheral blood. Based on the results of the developmental validation studies which included an assessment of reproducibility and repeatability, sensitivity, species specificity, carryover, mixtures, as well as a series of casework type samples. Only a small selection of case samples was unable to unambiguously identify the target fluid including urine recovered from substrates as well as semen when mixed with personal lubricants. Overall, the mass spectrometry-based workflow offers significant advantages compared to existing serological methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather E McKiernan
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Arcadia University, Glenside, PA 19038, USA
| | - Phillip B Danielson
- The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education, Willow Grove, PA 19090, USA; The University of Denver, Department of Biological Sciences, Denver, CO 80208, USA
| | - Catherine O Brown
- The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education, Willow Grove, PA 19090, USA; The University of Denver, Department of Biological Sciences, Denver, CO 80208, USA
| | - Masha Signaevsky
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Arcadia University, Glenside, PA 19038, USA
| | - Christian G Westring
- Purdue University Northwest, Center for Crime, Forensics, and Security Analysis, Hammond, IN 46323, USA
| | - Kevin M Legg
- The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education, Willow Grove, PA 19090, USA.
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25
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Evaluation of one-step RT-PCR multiplex assay for body fluid identification. Int J Legal Med 2021; 135:1727-1735. [PMID: 33666691 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-021-02535-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The discrimination of body fluid stains provides crucial evidence during the investigation of criminal cases. Previous studies have demonstrated the practical value of mRNA profiling in body fluid identification. Conventional strategy of mRNA profiling entails reverse transcription and PCR amplification in two separate procedures with different buffer systems. In this study, we subjected the one-step multiplex reverse transcription PCR strategy to mRNA profiling with the inclusion of the same 18 tissue-specific biomarkers in the F18plex system targeting peripheral blood, menstrual blood, vaginal secretion, saliva, semen, and urine. The Qiagen OneStep RT-PCR kit and Titanium One-Step RT-PCR kit were applied to multiplex construction, while reproducible profiling results were obtained with both kits. Compared to the F18plex system, similar expression profiles of biomarkers were obtained in targeted tissues, while expected cross-reaction was observed in non-targeted body fluids. However, CYP2B7P1 and SPINK5 were detected in menstrual blood samples, which was not observed using the F18plex system. Full-profiling results were obtained in all samples using 0.1 ng peripheral blood and semen RNA, and 1 ng menstrual blood, vaginal secretion, saliva, and urine RNA. In conclusion, the application of one-step mRNA profiling strategy could be a reliable and economical method for the simplified, specific, and simultaneous analysis of tissue-specific biomarkers for the discrimination of body fluid origin.
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26
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Haas C, Neubauer J, Salzmann AP, Hanson E, Ballantyne J. Forensic transcriptome analysis using massively parallel sequencing. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2021; 52:102486. [PMID: 33657509 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2021.102486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The application of transcriptome analyses in forensic genetics has experienced tremendous growth and development in the past decade. The earliest studies and main applications were body fluid and tissue identification, using targeted RNA transcripts and a reverse transcription endpoint PCR method. A number of markers have been identified for the forensically most relevant body fluids and tissues and the method has been successfully used in casework. The introduction of Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) opened up new perspectives and opportunities to advance the field. Contrary to genomic DNA where two copies of an autosomal DNA segment are present in a cell, abundant RNA species are expressed in high copy numbers. Even whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) of forensically relevant body fluids and of postmortem material was shown to be possible. This review gives an overview on forensic transcriptome analyses and applications. The methods cover whole transcriptome as well as targeted MPS approaches. High resolution forensic transcriptome analyses using MPS are being applied to body fluid/ tissue identification, determination of the age of stains and the age of the donor, the estimation of the post-mortem interval and to post mortem death investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cordula Haas
- University of Zurich, Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Genetics, Winterthurerstrasse 190/52, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Jacqueline Neubauer
- University of Zurich, Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Genetics, Winterthurerstrasse 190/52, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Patrizia Salzmann
- University of Zurich, Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Genetics, Winterthurerstrasse 190/52, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erin Hanson
- National Center for Forensic Science, University of Central Florida, 12354 Research Parkway, Suite 225, Orlando, FL 32826, USA
| | - Jack Ballantyne
- National Center for Forensic Science, University of Central Florida, 12354 Research Parkway, Suite 225, Orlando, FL 32826, USA; Department of Chemistry, National Center for Forensic Science, University of Central Florida, 12354 Research Parkway, Suite 225, Orlando, FL 32826, USA
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27
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MicroRNAs: An Update of Applications in Forensic Science. Diagnostics (Basel) 2020; 11:diagnostics11010032. [PMID: 33375374 PMCID: PMC7823886 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11010032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs containing 18–24 nucleotides that are involved in the regulation of many biochemical mechanisms in the human body. The level of miRNAs in body fluids and tissues increases because of altered pathophysiological mechanisms, thus they are employed as biomarkers for various diseases and conditions. In recent years, miRNAs obtained a great interest in many fields of forensic medicine given their stability and specificity. Several specific miRNAs have been studied in body fluid identification, in wound vitality in time of death determination, in drowning, in the anti-doping field, and other forensic fields. However, the major problems are (1) lack of universal protocols for diagnostic expression testing and (2) low reproducibility of independent studies. This review is an update on the application of these molecular markers in forensic biology.
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28
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Liu Y, He H, Xiao ZX, Ji A, Ye J, Sun Q, Cao Y. A systematic analysis of miRNA markers and classification algorithms for forensic body fluid identification. Brief Bioinform 2020; 22:6032627. [PMID: 33313714 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbaa324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying the types of body fluids left at the crime scene can be essential to reconstructing the crime scene and inferring criminal behavior. MicroRNA (miRNA) molecule extracted from the trace of body fluids is one of the most promising biomarkers for the identification due to its high expression, extreme stability and tissue specificity. However, the detection of miRNA markers is not the answer to a yes-no question but the probability of an assumption. Therefore, it is a crucial task to develop complicated methods combining multi-miRNAs as well as computational algorithms to achieve the goal. In this study, we systematically analyzed the expression of 10 most probable body fluid-specific miRNA markers (miR-451a, miR-205-5p, miR-203a-3p, miR-214-3p, miR-144-3p, miR-144-5p, miR-654-5p, miR-888-5p, miR-891a-5p and miR-124-3p) in 605 body fluids-related samples, including peripheral blood, menstrual blood, saliva, semen and vaginal secretion. We introduced the kernel density estimation (KDE) method and six well-established methods to classify the body fluids in order to find the most optimal combinations of miRNA markers as well as the corresponding classifying method. The results show that the combination of miR-451a, miR-891a-5p, miR-144-5p and miR-203a-3p together with KDE can achieve the most accurate and robust performance according to the cross-validation, independent tests and random perturbation tests. This systematic analysis suggests a reference scheme for the identification of body fluids in an accurate and stable manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, China
| | - Hongxia He
- National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination, Institute of Forensic Science
| | - Zhi-Xiong Xiao
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Director of the Center of Growth, Metabolism and Aging
| | - Anquan Ji
- MPS's Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, National Engineering Laboratory for Crime Scene Evidence Investigation and Examination
| | - Jian Ye
- People's Public Security University of China
| | - Qifan Sun
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Yang Cao
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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29
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Brown CO, Robbins BL, McKiernan HE, Danielson PB, Legg KM. Direct seminal fluid identification by protease-free high-resolution mass spectrometry. J Forensic Sci 2020; 66:1017-1023. [PMID: 33289932 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.14646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Serological screening of sexual assault evidence has traditionally focused on enzyme activity and immunochromatographic assays that provide only a presumptive indication of seminal fluid and have limited sensitivity relative to DNA testing. Seminal fluid detection based on protein mass spectrometry represents a "Next Gen" serological technology that overcomes the specificity and sensitivity limitations of traditional serological screening but requires time-consuming sample preparation protocols. This paper describes a novel "peptidomics" approach to seminal fluid detection that eliminates the need for lengthy trypsin digestion. This streamlines sample preparation to a one-step process followed by high-resolution mass spectrometry to identify naturally occurring seminal fluid peptides and low-molecular weight proteins. Multiple protein biomarkers of seminal fluid were consistently and confidently identified based on the multiplexed detection of numerous endogenous peptides. These included Semenogelin I and II (90% and 86% sequence coverage, respectively); Prostate Specific Antigen/p30 (29% sequence coverage); and Prostatic Acid Phosphatase (24% sequence coverage). The performance of this streamlined peptidomics approach to seminal fluid identification in a forensic context was also assessed using simulated casework samples of the type typically collected as part of a sexual assault examination (e.g., oral and vaginal swabs stained with semen). The resulting data demonstrate that sub-microliter quantities of seminal fluid on cotton swabs can be recovered and reliably detected. This supports the forensic applicability of a peptidomic assay for seminal fluid identification with same-day sample preparation and analysis. Future development and streamlined multiplex peptidomic assays for additional biological stains can easily be envisaged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine O Brown
- The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education, Willow Grove, PA, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | | | | | - Phillip B Danielson
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Kevin M Legg
- The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education, Willow Grove, PA, USA
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30
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Zhao Z, Muth DC, Mulka K, Liao Z, Powell BH, Hancock GV, Metcalf Pate KA, Witwer KW. miRNA profiling of primate cervicovaginal lavage and extracellular vesicles reveals miR-186-5p as a potential antiretroviral factor in macrophages. FEBS Open Bio 2020; 10:2021-2039. [PMID: 33017084 PMCID: PMC7530394 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.12952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cervicovaginal secretions, or their components collected, are referred to as cervicovaginal lavage (CVL). CVL constituents have utility as biomarkers and play protective roles in wound healing and against HIV-1 infection. However, several components of cervicovaginal fluids are less well understood, such as extracellular RNAs and their carriers, for example, extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs comprise a wide array of double-leaflet membrane extracellular particles and range in diameter from 30 nm to over one micron. The aim of this study was to determine whether differentially regulated CVL microRNAs (miRNAs) might influence retrovirus replication. To this end, we characterized EVs and miRNAs of primate CVL during the menstrual cycle and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of macaques. EVs were enriched by stepped ultracentrifugation, and miRNA profiles were assessed with a medium-throughput stem-loop/hydrolysis probe qPCR platform. Whereas hormone cycling was abnormal in infected subjects, EV concentration correlated with progesterone concentration in uninfected subjects. miRNAs were present predominantly in the EV-depleted CVL supernatant. Only a small number of CVL miRNAs changed during the menstrual cycle or SIV infection, for example, miR-186-5p, which was depleted in retroviral infection. This miRNA inhibited HIV replication in infected macrophages in vitro. In silico target prediction and pathway enrichment analyses shed light on the probable functions of miR-186-5p in hindering HIV infections via immunoregulation, T-cell regulation, disruption of viral pathways, etc. These results provide further evidence for the potential of EVs and small RNAs as biomarkers or effectors of disease processes in the reproductive tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zezhou Zhao
- Department of Molecular and Comparative PathobiologyThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Dillon C. Muth
- Department of Molecular and Comparative PathobiologyThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Kathleen Mulka
- Department of Molecular and Comparative PathobiologyThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Zhaohao Liao
- Department of Molecular and Comparative PathobiologyThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Bonita H. Powell
- Department of Molecular and Comparative PathobiologyThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
| | | | - Kelly A. Metcalf Pate
- Department of Molecular and Comparative PathobiologyThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Kenneth W. Witwer
- Department of Molecular and Comparative PathobiologyThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
- Department of NeurologyThe Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMDUSA
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31
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Wang S, Tao R, Ming T, Wang M, Liu J, He G, Zou X, Wang Z, Hou Y. Expression profile analysis and stability evaluation of 18 small RNAs in the Chinese Han population. Electrophoresis 2020; 41:2021-2028. [PMID: 32770750 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202000058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, differentially expressed small RNAs have been widely used to identify the compositions of forensically relevant biological samples, and a vast number of such RNA candidates have been proposed. Nevertheless, when assessing the expression levels of target small RNAs using relative quantitative analysis methods, credible internal controls are usually required for reliable data normalization. Therefore, the identification of optimal reference genes is an important task. In this study, the expression profile of 18 small RNA reference genes was characterized in the Chinese Han population using TaqMan real-time quantitative PCR. Systematic evaluations of these candidate genes were performed based on their expression levels and stability in several common types of body fluids (i.e., venous blood, menstrual blood, saliva, semen, and vaginal secretions). Analysis results from the ΔCq method, BestKeeper, NormFinder, and geNorm were integrated by RefFinder for ranking and comparing the candidates in each type of body fluid. Among all the candidates, miR-191 was identified as the most suitable reference gene because it had a favorable ranking value in all tested samples. In addition, miR-423, miR-93, miR-484, and let-7i were also shown to be applicable reference genes. Overall, this study provides detailed assessment results of these candidate genes in different body fluids; thus, it could be used as a guide for the selection of reference genes according to their performance in the sample of choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shouyu Wang
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China
| | - Ruiyang Tao
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Service Platform, Academy of Forensic Sciences, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Tianyue Ming
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China
| | - Mengge Wang
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China
| | - Jing Liu
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China
| | - Guanglin He
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China
| | - Xing Zou
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China
| | - Zheng Wang
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China
| | - Yiping Hou
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China
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32
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Bustos MA, Tran KD, Rahimzadeh N, Gross R, Lin SY, Shoji Y, Murakami T, Boley CL, Tran LT, Cole H, Kelly DF, O’Day S, Hoon DSB. Integrated Assessment of Circulating Cell-Free MicroRNA Signatures in Plasma of Patients with Melanoma Brain Metastasis. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E1692. [PMID: 32630542 PMCID: PMC7352246 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12061692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary cutaneous melanoma frequently metastasizes to distant organs including the brain. Identification of cell-free microRNAs (cfmiRs) found in the blood can be used as potential body fluid biomarkers for detecting and monitoring patients with melanoma brain metastasis (MBM). In this pilot study, we initially aimed to identify cfmiRs in the blood of MBM patients. Normal donors plasma (healthy, n = 48) and pre-operative MBM patients' plasma samples (n = 36) were compared for differences in >2000 microRNAs (miRs) using a next generation sequencing (NGS) probe-based assay. A 74 cfmiR signature was identified in an initial cohort of MBM plasma samples and then verified in a second cohort of MBM plasma samples (n = 24). Of these, only 58 cfmiRs were also detected in MBM tissues (n = 24). CfmiR signatures were also found in patients who have lung and breast cancer brain metastasis (n = 13) and glioblastomas (n = 36) compared to MBM plasma samples. The 74 cfmiR signature and the latter cfmiR signatures were then compared. We found a 6 cfmiR signature that was commonly upregulated in MBM plasma samples in all of the comparisons, and a 29 cfmiR signature that distinguishes MBM patients from normal donors' samples. In addition, we assessed for cfmiRs in plasma (n = 20) and urine (n = 14) samples collected from metastatic melanoma patients receiving checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy (CII). Pre- and post-treatment samples showed consistent changes in cfmiRs. Analysis of pre- and post-treatment plasma samples showed 8 differentially expressed (DE) cfmiRs that overlapped with the 35 cfmiR signature found in MBM patients. In paired pre-treatment plasma and urine samples receiving CII 8 cfmiRs overlapped. This study identified specific cfmiRs in MBM plasma samples that may potentially allow for assessment of melanoma patients developing MBM. The cfmiR signatures identified in both blood and urine may have potential utility to assess CII responses after further validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matias A. Bustos
- Department of Translational Molecular Medicine, John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (M.A.B.); (N.R.); (R.G.); (S.Y.L.); (Y.S.); (T.M.)
| | - Kevin D. Tran
- Department of Genomic Sequencing Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (K.D.T.); (L.T.T.)
| | - Negin Rahimzadeh
- Department of Translational Molecular Medicine, John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (M.A.B.); (N.R.); (R.G.); (S.Y.L.); (Y.S.); (T.M.)
| | - Rebecca Gross
- Department of Translational Molecular Medicine, John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (M.A.B.); (N.R.); (R.G.); (S.Y.L.); (Y.S.); (T.M.)
| | - Selena Y. Lin
- Department of Translational Molecular Medicine, John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (M.A.B.); (N.R.); (R.G.); (S.Y.L.); (Y.S.); (T.M.)
| | - Yoshiaki Shoji
- Department of Translational Molecular Medicine, John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (M.A.B.); (N.R.); (R.G.); (S.Y.L.); (Y.S.); (T.M.)
| | - Tomohiro Murakami
- Department of Translational Molecular Medicine, John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (M.A.B.); (N.R.); (R.G.); (S.Y.L.); (Y.S.); (T.M.)
| | - Christine L. Boley
- Department of Immuno-Oncology and Clinical Research, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (C.L.B.); (H.C.); O’
| | - Linh T. Tran
- Department of Genomic Sequencing Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (K.D.T.); (L.T.T.)
| | - Hunter Cole
- Department of Immuno-Oncology and Clinical Research, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (C.L.B.); (H.C.); O’
| | - Daniel F. Kelly
- Pacific Neuroscience Institute, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA;
| | - Steven O’Day
- Department of Immuno-Oncology and Clinical Research, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (C.L.B.); (H.C.); O’
| | - Dave S. B. Hoon
- Department of Translational Molecular Medicine, John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (M.A.B.); (N.R.); (R.G.); (S.Y.L.); (Y.S.); (T.M.)
- Department of Genomic Sequencing Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA; (K.D.T.); (L.T.T.)
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33
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Mjelle R, Aass KR, Sjursen W, Hofsli E, Sætrom P. sMETASeq: Combined Profiling of Microbiota and Host Small RNAs. iScience 2020; 23:101131. [PMID: 32422595 PMCID: PMC7229328 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding microbial communities' roles in human health and disease requires methods that accurately characterize the microbial composition and their activity and effects within human biological samples. We present sMETASeq (small RNA Metagenomics by Sequencing), a novel method that uses sequencing of small RNAs to jointly measure host small RNA expression and create metagenomic profiles and detect small bacterial RNAs. We evaluated the performance of sMETASeq on a mock bacterial community and demonstrated its use on different human samples, including colon cancer, oral leukoplakia, cervix cancer, and a panel of human biofluids. In all datasets, the detected microbes reflected the biology of the different sample types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Mjelle
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim 7030, Norway; Bioinformatics Core Facility-BioCore, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim 7491, Norway; K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim 7491, Norway.
| | - Kristin Roseth Aass
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim 7030, Norway; Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research, Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim 7030, Norway
| | - Wenche Sjursen
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim 7030, Norway; Department of Medical Genetics, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim 7030, Norway
| | - Eva Hofsli
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim 7030, Norway; The Cancer Clinic, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim 7030, Norway
| | - Pål Sætrom
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim 7030, Norway; Department of Computer and Information Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim 7491, Norway; Bioinformatics Core Facility-BioCore, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim 7491, Norway; K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim 7491, Norway
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34
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Butler JM, Willis S. Interpol review of forensic biology and forensic DNA typing 2016-2019. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2020; 2:352-367. [PMID: 33385135 PMCID: PMC7770417 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2019.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature in biological sciences from 2016 to 2019 as a part of the 19th Interpol International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. The review papers are also available at the Interpol website at: https://www.interpol.int/content/download/14458/file/Interpol%20Review%20Papers%202019.pdf.
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35
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Glynn CL. Potential applications of microRNA profiling to forensic investigations. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 26:1-9. [PMID: 31658993 PMCID: PMC6913128 DOI: 10.1261/rna.072173.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Within the forensic science community, there is a continued push to develop novel tools to aid in criminal investigations. microRNA (miRNA) analysis has been the focus of many researcher's attention in the biomedical field since its discovery in 1993; however, the forensic application of miRNA analysis has only been suggested within the last 10 years and has been gaining considerable traction recently. The primary focus of the forensic application of miRNA analysis has been on body fluid identification to provide confirmatory universal analysis of unknown biological stains obtained from crime scenes or evidence items. There are, however, other forensic applications of miRNA profiling that have shown potential, yet are largely understudied, and warrant further investigation such as organ tissue identification, donor age estimation, and more. This review paper aims to evaluate the current literature and future potential of miRNA analysis within the forensic science field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire L Glynn
- Department of Forensic Science, Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, University of New Haven, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, USA
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36
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Cacheux J, Bancaud A, Leichlé T, Cordelier P. Technological Challenges and Future Issues for the Detection of Circulating MicroRNAs in Patients With Cancer. Front Chem 2019; 7:815. [PMID: 31850308 PMCID: PMC6894013 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the era of precision medicine, the success of clinical trials, notably for patients diagnosed with cancer, strongly relies on biomarkers with pristine clinical value but also on robust and versatile analytical technologies to ensure proper patients' stratification and treatment. In this review, we will first address whether plasmatic and salivary microRNAs can be considered as a reliable source of biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. We will then discuss the pre-analytical steps preceding miRNA quantification (from isolation to purification), and how such process could be biased and time-consuming. Next, we will review the most recent tools derived from micro- and nano-technologies for microRNA detection available to date and how they may compete with current standards. This review will prioritize publications using relevant biological samples. The significance of various physical transduction schemes (mechanical, optical, electrical, etc.) for biological detection will be compared, and pros and cons of each method will be widely discussed. Finally, we will debate on how micro and nanotechnologies could widespread the use of biomarkers in modern medicine, to help manage patients with serious diseases such as cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Cacheux
- LAAS-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, CRCT, Toulouse, France
| | | | | | - Pierre Cordelier
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, CRCT, Toulouse, France
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Abstract
Semen is crucial evidence for some sex crimes, with its sole confirmation being sperm detection. The success of sperm detection is dependent on all levels of preanalytic and analytic procedures. Specimen collection must be performed by well-trained and competent forensic physicians as well as forensic nurses, with preservation done properly before laboratory transfer. Laboratory procedures should consider archival sperm identification, by visualization, with adequate amounts separated from other cells to obtain male DNA profiles. Differential extraction is robust and accepted as the forensic standard but is time consuming and may result in male DNA loss. Thus, alternative methods and microdevices have been developed. Challenges in sperm isolation from vaginal or buccal epithelium mixes and discrimination in multiperpetrator cases have been overcome by single-cell profiling; however, problems inherent in identical twin discrimination and azoospermia have yet to be solved. Epigenetics and future molecular biomarkers may hold the key; therefore, all laboratory processes must consider DNA and RNA protection. Long-term specimen preservation should be done when possible in light of future confirmatory tests.
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38
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Watanabe K, Akutsu T. Evaluation of a co-extraction kit for mRNA, miRNA and DNA methylation-based body fluid identification. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2019; 42:101630. [PMID: 31751797 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2019.101630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Recently, messenger RNA (mRNA), micro RNA (miRNA), and DNA methylation (DNAm) have been reported as novel markers for body fluid identification (BFID). Comprehensive analysis of these markers should be a flexible and reliable BFID method for various types of forensic samples. However, independent extraction of all targets can be difficult depending on the usable amounts of samples. In this study, the applicability of a co-extraction kit for these molecules, the AllPrep DNA/RNA/miRNA Universal Kit (APU), was evaluated by comparing RNA and DNA extracted from blood and saliva stains by the APU with those extracted by standard kits for each molecule and by previously reported methods for mRNA/DNA or miRNA/DNA co-extraction. Electrophoresis using the Bioanalyzer platform and real-time PCR analysis revealed that the APU performed almost equivalently to each standard kit in the quality of RNA or DNA extracted and extraction efficiency of mRNAs, miRNAs, and DNA. Moreover, the APU outperformed the co-extraction methods, especially in RNA integrity and miRNA extraction efficiency. In addition, pyrosequencing revealed that the methylation ratios of DNA extracted by the APU were not different from those extracted by standard DNA extraction kits. Overall, the APU is applicable to comprehensive analysis of mRNA/miRNA/DNAm markers for BFID analysis. Because the DNA eluate can also be used for DNA typing, the APU may be among the best choices for forensic examination of body fluid samples in terms of its flexibility and reliability in BFID and efficiency in sample consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Watanabe
- National Research Institute of Police Science, Chiba 277-0882, Japan.
| | - Tomoko Akutsu
- National Research Institute of Police Science, Chiba 277-0882, Japan
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39
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Fujimoto S, Manabe S, Morimoto C, Ozeki M, Hamano Y, Hirai E, Kotani H, Tamaki K. Distinct spectrum of microRNA expression in forensically relevant body fluids and probabilistic discriminant approach. Sci Rep 2019; 9:14332. [PMID: 31586097 PMCID: PMC6778116 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50796-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNA is attracting worldwide attention as a new marker for the identification of forensically relevant body fluids. A probabilistic discriminant model was constructed to identify venous blood, saliva, semen, and vaginal secretion, based on microRNA expression assessed via RT-qPCR. We quantified 15 candidate microRNAs in four types of body fluids by RT-qPCR and found that miR-144-3p, miR-451a-5p, miR-888-5p, miR-891a-5p, miR-203a-3p, miR-223-3p and miR-1260b were helpful to discriminate body fluids. Using the relative expression of seven candidate microRNAs in each body fluid, we implemented a partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) as a probabilistic discriminant model and distinguished four types of body fluids. Of 14 testing samples, 13 samples were correctly identified with >90% posterior probability. We also investigated the effects of microRNA expression in skin, semen infertility, and vaginal secretion during different menstrual phases. Semen infertility and menstrual phases did not affect our body fluid identification system. Therefore, the selected microRNAs were effective in identifying the four types of body fluids, indicating that probabilistic evaluation may be practical in forensic casework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuntaro Fujimoto
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Sho Manabe
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Chie Morimoto
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Munetaka Ozeki
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yuya Hamano
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.,Forensic Science Laboratory, Kyoto Prefectural Police Headquaters, 85-3, 85-4, Yabunouchi-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8550, Japan
| | - Eriko Hirai
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Kotani
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Keiji Tamaki
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
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40
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Layne TR, Green RA, Lewis CA, Nogales F, Dawson Cruz TC, Zehner ZE, Seashols-Williams SJ. microRNA Detection in Blood, Urine, Semen, and Saliva Stains After Compromising Treatments. J Forensic Sci 2019; 64:1831-1837. [PMID: 31184791 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.14113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Evaluation of microRNA (miRNA) expression as a potential method for forensic body fluid identification has been the subject of investigation over the past several years. Because of their size and encapsulation within proteins and lipids, miRNAs are inherently less susceptible to degradation than other RNAs. In this work, blood, urine, semen, and saliva were exposed to environmental and chemical conditions mimicking sample compromise at the crime scene. For many treated samples, including 100% of blood samples, miRNAs remained detectable, comparable to the untreated control. Sample degradation varied by body fluid and treatment, with blood remarkably resistant, while semen and saliva are more susceptible to environmental insult. Body fluid identification using relative miRNA expression of blood and semen of the exposed samples was 100% and 94%, respectively. Given the overall robust results herein, the case is strengthened for the use of miRNAs as a molecular method for body fluid identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany R Layne
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 843079, Richmond, Virginia, 23284-3079
| | - Raquel A Green
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 843079, Richmond, Virginia, 23284-3079
| | - Carolyn A Lewis
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 843079, Richmond, Virginia, 23284-3079
| | - Francy Nogales
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 843079, Richmond, Virginia, 23284-3079
| | - Tracey C Dawson Cruz
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 843079, Richmond, Virginia, 23284-3079
| | - Zendra E Zehner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 980614, Richmond, Virginia, 23298-0614
| | - Sarah J Seashols-Williams
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 843079, Richmond, Virginia, 23284-3079
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41
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Lewis CA, Layne TR, Seashols-Williams SJ. Detection of microRNAs in DNA Extractions for Forensic Biological Source Identification. J Forensic Sci 2019; 64:1823-1830. [PMID: 31107550 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.14070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Molecular-based approaches for biological source identification are of great interest in the forensic community because of a lack of sensitivity and specificity in current methods. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been considered due to their robust nature and tissue specificity; however, analysis requires a separate RNA extraction, requiring an additional step in the forensic analysis workflow. The purpose of this study was to evaluate miRNA detection in blood, semen, and saliva using DNA extraction methods commonly utilized for forensic casework. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that the tested miRNAs were consistently detectable across most tested DNA extraction methods, but detection was significantly reduced compared to RNA extracts in some biological fluids. DNase treatment was not necessary to achieve miRNA-specific results. A previously developed miRNA panel for forensic body fluid identification was evaluated using DNA extracts, and largely demonstrated concordance with results from samples deriving from RNA extracts of semen, blood, and saliva.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn A Lewis
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 843079, Richmond, Virginia, 23284-3079
| | - Tiffany R Layne
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 843079, Richmond, Virginia, 23284-3079
| | - Sarah J Seashols-Williams
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 843079, Richmond, Virginia, 23284-3079
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42
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Dørum G, Ingold S, Hanson E, Ballantyne J, Russo G, Aluri S, Snipen L, Haas C. Predicting the origin of stains from whole miRNome massively parallel sequencing data. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2019; 40:131-139. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2019.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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43
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Mayes C, Houston R, Seashols-Williams S, LaRue B, Hughes-Stamm S. The stability and persistence of blood and semen mRNA and miRNA targets for body fluid identification in environmentally challenged and laundered samples. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2019; 38:45-50. [PMID: 30959396 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2019.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The identification of body fluids in evidentiary stains may provide investigators with probative information during an investigation. In this study, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays were performed to detect the presence of mRNA and miRNA in fresh and environmentally challenged samples. Blood, semen, and reference markers were chosen for both mRNA/miRNA testing. Samples of blood and semen were exposed to heat, humidity, and sunlight, and controlled conditions (room temperature, low humidity, and darkness) for 6 months. All mRNA targets were observed through six months under controlled conditions, but were undetected after 30 days in experimental conditions. However, miRNA targets persisted under all test conditions for the duration of the study. Additionally, cotton stained with blood or semen was laundered using a liquid detergent in various washing and drying conditions. An unstained cutting was evaluated for potential transfer. Both miRNA targets were observed in all stained samples regardless of the wash protocol used. Of the mRNA markers, HBB was detected in all bloodstained samples and PRM1 persisted in all but one semen stained sample. The unstained samples showed transfer of at least one body fluid specific miRNA marker in all samples and at least one body fluid specific mRNA in approximately half of the samples. These results support that RNA markers can be used for body fluid identification in challenging samples, and that miRNA markers may be more persistent than mRNA for blood and semen stains. However, some caution is warranted with laundered items due to possible transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie Mayes
- Department of Forensic Science, College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 1003 Bowers Blvd., Huntsville, TX 77340-2525, United States.
| | - Rachel Houston
- Department of Forensic Science, College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 1003 Bowers Blvd., Huntsville, TX 77340-2525, United States
| | - Sarah Seashols-Williams
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 843079, Richmond, VA 23284, United States
| | - Bobby LaRue
- Department of Forensic Science, College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 1003 Bowers Blvd., Huntsville, TX 77340-2525, United States
| | - Sheree Hughes-Stamm
- Department of Forensic Science, College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 1003 Bowers Blvd., Huntsville, TX 77340-2525, United States; School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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44
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Fang C, Zhao J, Li J, Qian J, Liu X, Sun Q, Liu W, Tian Y, Ji A, Wu H, Yan J. Massively parallel sequencing of microRNA in bloodstains and evaluation of environmental influences on miRNA candidates using realtime polymerase chain reaction. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2018; 38:32-38. [PMID: 30321749 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small (22-24 nucleotides) non-coding RNAs with potential application in forensic science because of their anti-degradation property and tissue specificity. Recent studies on the use of miRNA in forensic applications have mainly focused on body fluid identification using realtime polymerase chain reaction or microarray analysis. However, the exploration of miRNA in bloodstains, which are the most valuable source of biological evidence during case investigations, is currently lacking, particularly for aged and environmentally compromised forensic samples. Recent developments in massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technology provide the opportunity to establish a whole-genome miRNA profile with high throughput and efficiency. However, MPS analysis of genome-wide miRNA profiles from bloodstains has not been reported to date. In this study, the whole-genome miRNA profiles of bloodstains were examined using MPS, revealing 633 known miRNAs and 266 novel miRNAs. To further explore the stability of miRNAs in bloodstains under various circumstances, the expression levels of six miRNAs (miR-16-5p, miR-20a-5p, miR-486-5p, miR-148a-3p, miR-151a-3p, and miR-451a) that were abundant in blood/bloodstains were examined. The results showed that freezing/thawing and a high concentration of oxidant solution affects the absolute expression of miRNA significantly, while storage for up to 5 months and a temperature of 37 °C did not have any observed effects. This study not only provides a novel method to explore miRNA profiles in bloodstains using MPS, but also points to the circumstantial influences on miRNA expression, which are an important consideration for practical application. Collectively, our work may shed light on MPS-based approaches with miRNA analysis of bloodstains in forensics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Fang
- Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China; Beijing Engineering Technology Research Centre of Gene Sequencing and Gene Function Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China
| | - Jing Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100010, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Junbo Li
- Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China; Beijing Engineering Technology Research Centre of Gene Sequencing and Gene Function Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China
| | - Jialin Qian
- Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China; Beijing Engineering Technology Research Centre of Gene Sequencing and Gene Function Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China
| | - Xu Liu
- Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China; Beijing Engineering Technology Research Centre of Gene Sequencing and Gene Function Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China
| | - Qifan Sun
- National Engineering Laboratory for Forensic Science and MPS Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing 100038, PR China
| | - Wenli Liu
- Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China; Beijing Engineering Technology Research Centre of Gene Sequencing and Gene Function Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China
| | - Yanjie Tian
- Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China; Beijing Engineering Technology Research Centre of Gene Sequencing and Gene Function Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China
| | - Anquan Ji
- National Engineering Laboratory for Forensic Science and MPS Key Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing 100038, PR China
| | - Huijuan Wu
- Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China; Beijing Engineering Technology Research Centre of Gene Sequencing and Gene Function Analysis, Beijing 100094, PR China.
| | - Jiangwei Yan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100010, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China; School of Forensic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, PR China.
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45
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Fujimoto S, Manabe S, Morimoto C, Ozeki M, Hamano Y, Tamaki K. Optimal small-molecular reference RNA for RT-qPCR-based body fluid identification. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2018; 37:135-142. [PMID: 30172170 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2018.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNA (miRNA) -based body fluid identification (BFID) plays a prominent role in a forensic practice, and the selected reference RNA is indispensable for a robust normalization in BFID performed using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. In this study, we first examined sample quality using RNA integrity number, then evaluated the consistency of expression of candidate reference RNAs in 4 forensically relevant body fluids using NormFinder and BestKeeper, and lastly used each rank and index output from these tools for selecting the optimal reference RNA and the combination of the multiple RNAs using the RankAggreg package of R. We found that RNA integrity number was small in our samples, despite the use of pristine body fluids; 5S-rRNA was the optimal reference RNA for the identification of forensically relevant body fluids; and the combination of 5S-rRNA and miR-92a-3p and/or miR-484 enhanced the normalization quality. Our findings enable us to perform stringent normalization of the expression of body fluid-specific RNAs, and thus, can contribute to the development of small RNA-based BFID systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuntaro Fujimoto
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Sho Manabe
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Chie Morimoto
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Munetaka Ozeki
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yuya Hamano
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Forensic Science Laboratory, Kyoto Prefectural Police Headquaters, 85-3, 85-4, Yabunouchi-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8550, Japan
| | - Keiji Tamaki
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
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46
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Rapid differentiation of epithelial cell types in aged biological samples using autofluorescence and morphological signatures. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197701. [PMID: 29772013 PMCID: PMC5957390 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Establishing the tissue source of epithelial cells within a biological sample is an important capability for forensic laboratories. In this study we used Imaging Flow Cytometry (IFC) to analyze individual cells recovered from buccal, epidermal, and vaginal samples that had been dried between 24 hours and more than eight weeks. Measurements capturing the size, shape, and fluorescent properties of cells were collected in an automated manner and then used to build a multivariate statistical framework for differentiating cells based on tissue type. Results showed that epidermal cells could be distinguished from vaginal and buccal cells using a discriminant function analysis of IFC measurements with an average classification accuracy of ~94%. Ultimately, cellular measurements such as these, which can be obtained non-destructively, may provide probative information for many types of biological samples and complement results from standard genetic profiling techniques.
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A preliminary origin-tracking study of different densities urinary exosomes. Electrophoresis 2018; 39:2316-2320. [DOI: 10.1002/elps.201700388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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48
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Semen-specific miRNAs: Suitable for the distinction of infertile semen in the body fluid identification? Forensic Sci Int Genet 2018; 33:161-167. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2017.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Revised: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Small non-coding RNA profiling in human biofluids and surrogate tissues from healthy individuals: description of the diverse and most represented species. Oncotarget 2017; 9:3097-3111. [PMID: 29423032 PMCID: PMC5790449 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.23203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of non-coding RNAs in different biological processes and diseases is continuously expanding. Next-generation sequencing together with the parallel improvement of bioinformatics analyses allows the accurate detection and quantification of an increasing number of RNA species. With the aim of exploring new potential biomarkers for disease classification, a clear overview of the expression levels of common/unique small RNA species among different biospecimens is necessary. However, except for miRNAs in plasma, there are no substantial indications about the pattern of expression of various small RNAs in multiple specimens among healthy humans. By analysing small RNA-sequencing data from 243 samples, we have identified and compared the most abundantly and uniformly expressed miRNAs and non-miRNA species of comparable size with the library preparation in four different specimens (plasma exosomes, stool, urine, and cervical scrapes). Eleven miRNAs were commonly detected among all different specimens while 231 miRNAs were globally unique across them. Classification analysis using these miRNAs provided an accuracy of 99.6% to recognize the sample types. piRNAs and tRNAs were the most represented non-miRNA small RNAs detected in all specimen types that were analysed, particularly in urine samples. With the present data, the most uniformly expressed small RNAs in each sample type were also identified. A signature of small RNAs for each specimen could represent a reference gene set in validation studies by RT-qPCR. Overall, the data reported hereby provide an insight of the constitution of the human miRNome and of other small non-coding RNAs in various specimens of healthy individuals.
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Mayes C, Seashols-Williams S, Hughes-Stamm S. A capillary electrophoresis method for identifying forensically relevant body fluids using miRNAs. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2017; 30:1-4. [PMID: 29125963 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2017.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Body fluid identification (BFID) can provide crucial information during the course of an investigation. In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) have shown considerable body fluid specificity, are able to be co-extracted with DNA, and their small size (18-25 nucleotides) make them ideal for analyzing highly degraded forensic samples. In this study, we designed a preliminary 8-marker system for BFID including an endogenous reference gene (let-7g) to differentiate between venous blood (miR-451a and miR-142-3p), menstrual blood (miR-141-3p and miR-412-3p), semen (miR-891a and miR-10b), and saliva (miR-205) using a capillary electrophoresis approach. This panel uses a linear primer system in order to incorporate additional miRNA markers by forming a multiplex system. The miRNA system was able to distinguish between venous blood, menstrual blood, semen, and saliva using a rudimentary data interpretation strategy. All STR amplifications from co-extracted DNA yielded complete profiles from human identification purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie Mayes
- Department of Forensic Science, College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 1003 Bowers Blvd., Huntsville, TX 77340-2525, United States.
| | - Sarah Seashols-Williams
- Department of Forensic Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 843079, Richmond, VA 23284, United States
| | - Sheree Hughes-Stamm
- Department of Forensic Science, College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, 1003 Bowers Blvd., Huntsville, TX 77340-2525, United States
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