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Shaw B, Foggin S, Hamilton-Stanley P, Barlow A, Pickard C, Fibiger L, Oldham N, Tighe P, Kootker LM, Schrader S, Layfield R. Antibody-based sex determination of human skeletal remains. iScience 2023; 26:108191. [PMID: 37953951 PMCID: PMC10632104 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Assignment of biological sex to skeletal remains is critical in the accurate reconstruction of the past. Analysis of sex-chromosome encoded AMELX and AMELY peptides from the enamel protein amelogenin underpins a minimally destructive mass spectrometry (MS) method for sex determination of human remains. However, access to such specialist approaches limits applicability. As a convenient alternative, we generated antibodies that distinguish human AMELX and AMELY. Purified antibodies demonstrated high selectivity and quantitative detection against synthetic peptides by ELISA. Using acid etches of enamel from post-medieval skeletons, antibody determinations corrected osteological uncertainties and matched parallel MS, and for Bronze Age samples where only enamel was preserved, also matched MS analyses. Toward improved throughput, automated stations were applied to analyze 19th-century teeth where sex of individuals was documented, confirming MS can be bypassed. Our immunological tools should underpin development of routine, economical, high-throughput methods for sex determination, potentially even in a field setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barry Shaw
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Sophie Foggin
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Andy Barlow
- School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Catriona Pickard
- School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Linda Fibiger
- School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Neil Oldham
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Patrick Tighe
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Lisette M. Kootker
- Department of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sarah Schrader
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Rob Layfield
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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Żarczyńska M, Żarczyński P, Tomsia M. Nucleic Acids Persistence-Benefits and Limitations in Forensic Genetics. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1643. [PMID: 37628694 PMCID: PMC10454188 DOI: 10.3390/genes14081643] [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: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The analysis of genetic material may be the only way to identify an unknown person or solve a criminal case. Often, the conditions in which the genetic material was found determine the choice of the analytical method. Hence, it is extremely important to understand the influence of various factors, both external and internal, on genetic material. The review presents information on DNA and RNA persistence, depending on the chemical and physical factors affecting the genetic material integrity. One of the factors taken into account is the time elapsing to genetic material recovery. Temperature can both preserve the genetic material or lead to its rapid degradation. Radiation, aquatic environments, and various types of chemical and physical factors also affect the genetic material quality. The substances used during the forensic process, i.e., for biological trace visualization or maceration, are also discussed. Proper analysis of genetic material degradation can help determine the post-mortem interval (PMI) or time since deposition (TsD), which may play a key role in criminal cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Żarczyńska
- School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 18 Medyków Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland; (M.Ż.); (P.Ż.)
| | - Piotr Żarczyński
- School of Medicine in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 18 Medyków Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland; (M.Ż.); (P.Ż.)
| | - Marcin Tomsia
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Toxicology, Medical University of Silesia, 18 Medyków Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
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Zupanič Pajnič I, Geršak ŽM, Leskovar T, Črešnar M. Kinship analysis of 5th- to 6th-century skeletons of Romanized indigenous people from the Bled-Pristava archaeological site. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2023; 65:102886. [PMID: 37137206 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.102886] [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: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The familial relationship between skeletons buried together in a shared grave is important for understanding the burial practices of past human populations. Four skeletons were excavated from the Late Antiquity part of the Bled-Pristava burial site in Slovenia, dated to the 5th to 6th century. They were anthropologically characterized as two adults (a middle-aged man and a young woman) and two non-adults (of unknown sex). Based on stratigraphy, the skeletons were considered to be buried simultaneously in one grave. Our aim was to determine whether the skeletons were related. Petrous bones and teeth were used for genetic analysis. Specific precautions were followed to prevent contamination of ancient DNA with contemporary DNA, and an elimination database was established. Bone powder was obtained using a MillMix tissue homogenizer. Prior to extracting the DNA using Biorobot EZ1, 0.5 g of powder was decalcified. The PowerQuant System was used for quantification, various autosomal kits for autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) typing, and the PowerPlex Y23 kit for Y-STR typing. All analyses were performed in duplicate. Up to 28 ng DNA/g of powder was extracted from the samples analyzed. Almost full autosomal STR profiles obtained from all four skeletons and almost full Y-STR haplotypes obtained from two male skeletons were compared, and the possibility of a familial relationship was evaluated. No amplification was obtained in the negative controls, and no match was found in the elimination database. Autosomal STR statistical calculations confirmed that the adult male was the father of two non-adult individuals and one young adult individual from the grave. The relationship between the males (father and son) was additionally confirmed by an identical Y-STR haplotype that belonged to the E1b1b haplogroup, and a combined likelihood ratio for autosomal and Y-STRs was calculated. Kinship analysis confirmed with high confidence (kinship probability greater than 99.9% was calculated for all three children) that all four skeletons belonged to the same family (a father, two daughters, and a son). Through genetic analysis, the burial of members of the same family in a shared grave was confirmed as a burial practice of the population living in the Bled area in Late Antiquity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Zupanič Pajnič
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Korytkova 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Živa Miriam Geršak
- Institute of Radiology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zaloška 7, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tamara Leskovar
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Matija Črešnar
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Wurst C, Maixner F, Castella V, Cipollini G, Hotz G, Zink A. The Lady from Basel's Barfüsserkirche - Molecular confirmation of the Mummy's identity through mitochondrial DNA of living relatives spanning 22 generations. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2021; 56:102604. [PMID: 34656830 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2021.102604] [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: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The identity of the mummified Lady from the Barfüsser Church in Basel, Switzerland has been unsolved for decades, despite the prominent location of the burial place in front of the choir screen. A recent multidisciplinary research approach came up with a possible candidate, Anna Catharina Bischoff who died in Basel in 1787 with an age of 69 years (1719-1787). To verify the identity of the mummy, genealogists of the Citizen Science Basel discovered three living individuals of the maternal lineage of two different family branches, separated from Anna Catharina Bischoff by up to 22 generations. In this study we compare the ancient mitochondrial DNA of the mummy recovered from a premolar to the mitochondrial DNA of these three candidates. Initially the mitochondrial hypervariable regions I and II of the living individuals were screened using the Sanger sequencing method. This was followed by a mitochondrial capture approach and next generation sequencing to enrich for the whole mitochondrial genome of the mummy and one living person. A full mitochondrial genome has been recovered of both individuals sharing an identical haplotype. The sequence was assigned to the mitochondrial haplogroup U5a1+!16192 including two private mutations 10006G and 16293C. Only by using an interdisciplinary approach combining ancient DNA analysis and genealogy a maternal lineage of a non-noble family spanning 22 generations could be confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Wurst
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Drususallee/Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bozen, Bolzano, Italy; Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Saarstraße 21, 55122 Mainz, Germany.
| | - Frank Maixner
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Drususallee/Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bozen, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Vincent Castella
- Forensic Genetics Unit, University Center of Legal Medicine, Lausanne - Geneva, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Ch. de la Vulliette 4, 1000 Lausanne 25, Switzerland
| | - Giovanna Cipollini
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Drususallee/Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bozen, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Gerhard Hotz
- Natural History Museum Basel, Augustinergasse 2, 4051 Basel, Switzerland; Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 32, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Drususallee/Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bozen, Bolzano, Italy
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