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Fang C, Zhou P, Li R, Guo J, Qiu H, Zhang J, Li M, Yu C, Meng D, Xu X, Liu X, Guan D, Yan J. Development of a novel forensic age estimation strategy for aged blood samples by combining piRNA and miRNA markers. Int J Legal Med 2023; 137:1327-1335. [PMID: 37264192 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03028-8] [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: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In forensic investigations, age estimation is vital for determining whether a suspect is under or over the legally defined adult age. With breakthroughs in RNA sequencing technology, small noncoding RNAs have provided new ways to solve problems related to the age estimation of trace or aged samples, owing to their small molecular weight and better stability. In our previous study, we had applied miRNAs for the age estimation of bloodstains; however, further improvement of the existing model is needed. PIWI-interacting RNAs (PiRNAs), which are 24-32 nt noncoding small RNA molecules involved in the PIWI-piRNA pathway, play an important role in the aging process. In this study, we explored the possibility of simultaneously analyzing piRNAs and miRNAs for better age estimation purpose. Through massively parallel sequencing, five age-related piRNAs were identified in blood samples that had been stored for eight years. Further real-time PCR analysis revealed that two piRNAs (piR-000753 and piR-020548) showed relatively higher efficiency in age estimation. Additionally, two age-related miRNAs (miR-324-3p and miR-330-5p) were used to build the estimation model. Among all algorithms tested, gradient boosting showed the lowest mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) values (3.171 and 4.403 years, respectively) for the validation dataset (n = 110). The errors of the model were less than 5 years and 10 years for 81.82% and 96.36% of the samples, respectively. The results suggest that the combined use of piRNA and miRNA markers may increase the accuracy of age estimation, and our new model has great potential for application in forensic casework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Fang
- Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People's Republic of China.
| | - Peng Zhou
- Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, People's Republic of China
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People's Republic of China
| | - Ran Li
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinghan Guo
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People's Republic of China
| | - Huixian Qiu
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingjuan Zhang
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Li
- Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, People's Republic of China
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunjiang Yu
- Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, People's Republic of China
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People's Republic of China
| | - Deping Meng
- Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, People's Republic of China
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoqun Xu
- Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, People's Republic of China
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People's Republic of China
| | - Xu Liu
- Institute of Analysis and Testing, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology (Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis), Beijing, 100094, People's Republic of China
| | - Di Guan
- Institute of Analysis and Testing, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology (Beijing Center for Physical and Chemical Analysis), Beijing, 100094, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiangwei Yan
- Shanxi Medical University, 030001, Taiyuan, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University& Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, People's Republic of China.
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Kayser M, Branicki W, Parson W, Phillips C. Recent advances in Forensic DNA Phenotyping of appearance, ancestry and age. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2023; 65:102870. [PMID: 37084623 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.102870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
Forensic DNA Phenotyping (FDP) comprises the prediction of a person's externally visible characteristics regarding appearance, biogeographic ancestry and age from DNA of crime scene samples, to provide investigative leads to help find unknown perpetrators that cannot be identified with forensic STR-profiling. In recent years, FDP has advanced considerably in all of its three components, which we summarize in this review article. Appearance prediction from DNA has broadened beyond eye, hair and skin color to additionally comprise other traits such as eyebrow color, freckles, hair structure, hair loss in men, and tall stature. Biogeographic ancestry inference from DNA has progressed from continental ancestry to sub-continental ancestry detection and the resolving of co-ancestry patterns in genetically admixed individuals. Age estimation from DNA has widened beyond blood to more somatic tissues such as saliva and bones as well as new markers and tools for semen. Technological progress has allowed forensically suitable DNA technology with largely increased multiplex capacity for the simultaneous analysis of hundreds of DNA predictors with targeted massively parallel sequencing (MPS). Forensically validated MPS-based FDP tools for predicting from crime scene DNA i) several appearance traits, ii) multi-regional ancestry, iii) several appearance traits together with multi-regional ancestry, and iv) age from different tissue types, are already available. Despite recent advances that will likely increase the impact of FDP in criminal casework in the near future, moving reliable appearance, ancestry and age prediction from crime scene DNA to the level of detail and accuracy police investigators may desire, requires further intensified scientific research together with technical developments and forensic validations as well as the necessary funding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Kayser
- Department of Genetic Identification, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Wojciech Branicki
- Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland,; Institute of Forensic Research, Kraków, Poland
| | - Walther Parson
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria; Forensic Science Program, The Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA
| | - Christopher Phillips
- Forensic Genetics Unit, Institute of Forensic Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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