1
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Courts C, Gosch A, Rothschild M. RNA Analysis in Forensic Molecular Biology. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2024:arztebl.m2024.0051. [PMID: 38573184 DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.m2024.0051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Different types of RNA take on multiple crucial functions in living cells and tissues. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a temporary molecular carrier of genetic information. Analysis of the composition of all mRNA contained in a cell at a given moment, the so-called transcriptome, enables the determination of the type of cell and its condition, e.g., in pathologically altered states. METHODS This review is based on pertinent publications retrieved by a selective literature search. RESULTS The analysis of differential gene expression has already been used in forensic molecular biology to determine the type of tissue contained in biological specimens. It is also being used in criminal investigations to determine the composition of mixed traces of various bodily fluids and/or organ tissues. The method is limited by degradation of the mRNA molecules through environmental influences. The use of newly developed molecular biological methods such as massive parallel sequencing can expand the information obtainable by this investigative method. Current research also addresses the forensic potential of deriving relevant information about the crime-e.g., its timing, or the condition of the involved persons-from the totality of mRNA species present in the specimens. CONCLUSION Forensic RNA analysis can yield a great deal of relevant information. It is likely to be applicable in a much wider variety of forensic situations in the near future.
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Hahn M, Courts C, Eckert M, Fimmers R, Grethe S, Kranz S, Leuker C, Oppelt C, Razbin S, Templin M, Vennemann M, Zimmermann P, Anslinger K. Authors' response. J Forensic Sci 2024; 69:736-738. [PMID: 37986631 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.15426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Meinhard Hahn
- State Criminal Police Office of Lower Saxony, Hanover, Germany
| | - Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Rolf Fimmers
- Institute for Forensic Statistics and Quality Assurance, St. Augustin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Grethe
- State Criminal Police Office of Rhineland-Palatinate, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Christoph Leuker
- State Criminal Police Office of North Rhine-Westphalia, Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Claus Oppelt
- State Criminal Police Office of Lower Saxony, Hanover, Germany
| | - Sven Razbin
- State Criminal Police Office of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Michael Templin
- State Criminal Police Office of Lower Saxony, Hanover, Germany
| | | | - Peter Zimmermann
- State Criminal Police Office of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Katja Anslinger
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
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George J, Maas L, Abedpour N, Cartolano M, Kaiser L, Fischer RN, Scheel AH, Weber JP, Hellmich M, Bosco G, Volz C, Mueller C, Dahmen I, John F, Alves CP, Werr L, Panse JP, Kirschner M, Engel-Riedel W, Jürgens J, Stoelben E, Brockmann M, Grau S, Sebastian M, Stratmann JA, Kern J, Hummel HD, Hegedüs B, Schuler M, Plönes T, Aigner C, Elter T, Toepelt K, Ko YD, Kurz S, Grohé C, Serke M, Höpker K, Hagmeyer L, Doerr F, Hekmath K, Strapatsas J, Kambartel KO, Chakupurakal G, Busch A, Bauernfeind FG, Griesinger F, Luers A, Dirks W, Wiewrodt R, Luecke A, Rodermann E, Diel A, Hagen V, Severin K, Ullrich RT, Reinhardt HC, Quaas A, Bogus M, Courts C, Nürnberg P, Becker K, Achter V, Büttner R, Wolf J, Peifer M, Thomas RK. Evolutionary trajectories of small cell lung cancer under therapy. Nature 2024; 627:880-889. [PMID: 38480884 PMCID: PMC10972747 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07177-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
The evolutionary processes that underlie the marked sensitivity of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) to chemotherapy and rapid relapse are unknown1-3. Here we determined tumour phylogenies at diagnosis and throughout chemotherapy and immunotherapy by multiregion sequencing of 160 tumours from 65 patients. Treatment-naive SCLC exhibited clonal homogeneity at distinct tumour sites, whereas first-line platinum-based chemotherapy led to a burst in genomic intratumour heterogeneity and spatial clonal diversity. We observed branched evolution and a shift to ancestral clones underlying tumour relapse. Effective radio- or immunotherapy induced a re-expansion of founder clones with acquired genomic damage from first-line chemotherapy. Whereas TP53 and RB1 alterations were exclusively part of the common ancestor, MYC family amplifications were frequently not constituents of the founder clone. At relapse, emerging subclonal mutations affected key genes associated with SCLC biology, and tumours harbouring clonal CREBBP/EP300 alterations underwent genome duplications. Gene-damaging TP53 alterations and co-alterations of TP53 missense mutations with TP73, CREBBP/EP300 or FMN2 were significantly associated with shorter disease relapse following chemotherapy. In summary, we uncover key processes of the genomic evolution of SCLC under therapy, identify the common ancestor as the source of clonal diversity at relapse and show central genomic patterns associated with sensitivity and resistance to chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie George
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Lukas Maas
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Nima Abedpour
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Centre for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Cancer Research Centre Cologne Essen, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Maria Cartolano
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Centre for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Laura Kaiser
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Rieke N Fischer
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Lung Cancer Group Cologne, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Andreas H Scheel
- Institute of Pathology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jan-Philipp Weber
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Lung Cancer Group Cologne, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Martin Hellmich
- Institute of Medical Statistics, and Computational Biology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Graziella Bosco
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Caroline Volz
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Centre for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Centre for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Christian Mueller
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ilona Dahmen
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Felix John
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Lung Cancer Group Cologne, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Cleidson Padua Alves
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Lisa Werr
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jens Peter Panse
- Department of Haematology, Oncology, Haemostaseology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- Centre for Integrated Oncology, Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf, Aachen, Germany
| | - Martin Kirschner
- Department of Haematology, Oncology, Haemostaseology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- Centre for Integrated Oncology, Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf, Aachen, Germany
| | - Walburga Engel-Riedel
- Department of Pneumology, City of Cologne Municipal Hospitals, Lung Hospital Cologne Merheim, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jessica Jürgens
- Department of Pneumology, City of Cologne Municipal Hospitals, Lung Hospital Cologne Merheim, Cologne, Germany
| | - Erich Stoelben
- Thoraxclinic Cologne, Thoracic Surgery, St. Hildegardis-Krankenhaus, Cologne, Germany
| | - Michael Brockmann
- Department of Pathology, City of Cologne Municipal Hospitals, Witten/Herdecke University, Cologne, Germany
| | - Stefan Grau
- Department of General Neurosurgery, Centre of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- University Medicine Marburg - Campus Fulda, Department of Neurosurgery, Fulda, Germany
| | - Martin Sebastian
- Department of Medicine II, Haematology/Oncology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- DKFZ, German Cancer Research Centre, German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jan A Stratmann
- Department of Medicine II, Haematology/Oncology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jens Kern
- Klinikum Würzburg Mitte - Missioklinik site, Pneumology and Respiratory Medicine, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Horst-Dieter Hummel
- Translational Oncology/Early Clinical Trial Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Centre Mainfranken, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Balazs Hegedüs
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Medicine Essen - Ruhrlandklinik, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Martin Schuler
- DKFZ, German Cancer Research Centre, German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medical Oncology, West German Cancer Centre Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Till Plönes
- Department of Medical Oncology, West German Cancer Centre Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of General, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
| | - Clemens Aigner
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Medicine Essen - Ruhrlandklinik, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna General Hospital, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Elter
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Centre for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Karin Toepelt
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Centre for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Sylke Kurz
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Evangelische Lungenklinik, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Grohé
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Evangelische Lungenklinik, Berlin, Germany
| | - Monika Serke
- DGD Lungenklinik Hemer, Internal Medicine, Pneumology and Oncology, Hemer, Germany
| | - Katja Höpker
- Clinic III for Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Lars Hagmeyer
- Clinic of Pneumology and Allergology, Centre for Sleep Medicine and Respiratory Care, Bethanien Hospital Solingen, Solingen, Germany
| | - Fabian Doerr
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Medicine Essen - Ruhrlandklinik, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Khosro Hekmath
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Judith Strapatsas
- Department of Haematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital of Duesseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | | | - Annette Busch
- Medical Clinic III for Oncology, Haematology, Immune-Oncology and Rheumatology, Centre for Integrative Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Franz-Georg Bauernfeind
- Medical Clinic III for Oncology, Haematology, Immune-Oncology and Rheumatology, Centre for Integrative Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Frank Griesinger
- Pius-Hospital Oldenburg, Department of Haematology and Oncology, University Department Internal Medicine-Oncology, University Medicine Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Anne Luers
- Pius-Hospital Oldenburg, Department of Haematology and Oncology, University Department Internal Medicine-Oncology, University Medicine Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Wiebke Dirks
- Pius-Hospital Oldenburg, Department of Haematology and Oncology, University Department Internal Medicine-Oncology, University Medicine Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Rainer Wiewrodt
- Pulmonary Division, Department of Medicine A, Münster University Hospital, Münster, Germany
| | - Andrea Luecke
- Pulmonary Division, Department of Medicine A, Münster University Hospital, Münster, Germany
| | - Ernst Rodermann
- Onkologie Rheinsieg, Praxisnetzwerk Hämatologie und Internistische Onkologie, Troisdorf, Germany
| | - Andreas Diel
- Onkologie Rheinsieg, Praxisnetzwerk Hämatologie und Internistische Onkologie, Troisdorf, Germany
| | - Volker Hagen
- Clinic II for Internal Medicine, St.-Johannes-Hospital Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Kai Severin
- Haematologie und Onkologie Köln MV-Zentrum, Cologne, Germany
| | - Roland T Ullrich
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Centre for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Centre for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Hans Christian Reinhardt
- Department of Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Centre, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Alexander Quaas
- Institute of Pathology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Magdalena Bogus
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Peter Nürnberg
- Cologne Centre for Genomics, West German Genome Centre, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Kerstin Becker
- Cologne Centre for Genomics, West German Genome Centre, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Viktor Achter
- Computing Centre, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Reinhard Büttner
- Institute of Pathology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jürgen Wolf
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Lung Cancer Group Cologne, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Martin Peifer
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- Centre for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Roman K Thomas
- Department of Translational Genomics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- Institute of Pathology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
- DKFZ, German Cancer Research Centre, German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Gosch A, Banemann R, Dørum G, Haas C, Hadrys T, Haenggi N, Kulstein G, Neubauer J, Courts C. Spitting in the wind?-The challenges of RNA sequencing for biomarker discovery from saliva. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:401-412. [PMID: 37847308 PMCID: PMC10861700 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03100-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Forensic trace contextualization, i.e., assessing information beyond who deposited a biological stain, has become an issue of great and steadily growing importance in forensic genetic casework and research. The human transcriptome encodes a wide variety of information and thus has received increasing interest for the identification of biomarkers for different aspects of forensic trace contextualization over the past years. Massively parallel sequencing of reverse-transcribed RNA ("RNA sequencing") has emerged as the gold standard technology to characterize the transcriptome in its entirety and identify RNA markers showing significant expression differences not only between different forensically relevant body fluids but also within a single body fluid between forensically relevant conditions of interest. Here, we analyze the quality and composition of four RNA sequencing datasets (whole transcriptome as well as miRNA sequencing) from two different research projects (the RNAgE project and the TrACES project), aiming at identifying contextualizing forensic biomarker from the forensically relevant body fluid saliva. We describe and characterize challenges of RNA sequencing of saliva samples arising from the presence of oral bacteria, the heterogeneity of sample composition, and the confounding factor of degradation. Based on these observations, we formulate recommendations that might help to improve RNA biomarker discovery from the challenging but forensically relevant body fluid saliva.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annica Gosch
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Regine Banemann
- Federal Criminal Police Office, Forensic Science Institute, Wiesbaden, Germany
| | - Guro Dørum
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Cordula Haas
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thorsten Hadrys
- State Criminal Police Office, Forensic Science Institute, Munich, Germany
| | - Nadescha Haenggi
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Galina Kulstein
- Federal Criminal Police Office, Forensic Science Institute, Wiesbaden, Germany
| | - Jacqueline Neubauer
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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5
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Euteneuer J, Moitinho-Silva L, Courts C. Forensically relevant anatomical brain regions cannot be sub-differentiated by RNA expression analysis. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2024:10.1007/s12024-024-00787-7. [PMID: 38294632 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-024-00787-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
The contextualization of biological traces generated by severe head injuries can be beneficial for criminal investigations. Here we aimed to identify and validate mRNA candidates for a robust sub-differentiation of forensically and traumatologically relevant brain regions. To this purpose, massively parallel sequencing of whole transcriptomes in sample material taken from four different areas of the cerebral cortex (frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital lobe) was performed, followed by bioinformatical data analysis, classification, and biostatistical candidate selection. Candidates were evaluated by Multiplex-RT-PCR and capillary electrophoresis. Only a weak relative upregulation and solely for candidates expressed in the parietal lobe was observed. Two candidates with upregulation in the cerebellar region (PVALB and CDR2L) were chosen for further investigation; however, PVALB could not reliably and repeatedly be detected in any lobe whereas CDR2L was detectable in all lobes. Consequently, we suggest that differences in mRNA expression between four regions of the cerebral cortex are too small and less pronounced to be useful for and applicable in forensic RNA analysis. We conclude that sub-differentiation of these brain regions via RNA expression analysis is generally not feasible within a forensic scope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Euteneuer
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Strasse 12, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Strasse 12, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital of Köln, Melatengürtel 60/62, 50823, Cologne, Germany.
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6
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Dørum G, Hänggi NV, Burri D, Marti Y, Banemann R, Kulstein G, Courts C, Gosch A, Hadrys T, Haas C, Neubauer J. Selecting mRNA markers in blood for age estimation of the donor of a biological stain. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2024; 68:102976. [PMID: 38000161 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.102976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
RNA has gained a substantial amount of attention within the forensic field over the last decade. There is evidence that RNAs are differentially expressed with biological age. Since RNA can be co-extracted with DNA from the same piece of evidence, RNA-based analysis appears as a promising molecular alternative for predicting the biological age and hence inferring the chronological age of a person. Using RNA-Seq data we searched for markers in blood potentially associated with age. We used our own RNA-Seq data from dried blood stains as well as publicly available RNA-Seq data from whole blood, and compared two different approaches to select candidate markers. The first approach focused on individual gene analysis with DESeq2 to select the genes most correlated with age, while the second approach employed lasso regression to select a set of genes for optimal prediction of age. We present two lists with 270 candidate markers, one for each approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guro Dørum
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Dario Burri
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yael Marti
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Cornelius Courts
- University Hospital of Cologne, Institute of Legal Medicine, Cologne, Germany
| | - Annica Gosch
- University Hospital of Cologne, Institute of Legal Medicine, Cologne, Germany
| | - Thorsten Hadrys
- Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (BLKA), Munich, Germany
| | - Cordula Haas
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Jacqueline Neubauer
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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7
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Gosch A, Bhardwaj A, Courts C. TrACES of time: Transcriptomic analyses for the contextualization of evidential stains - Identification of RNA markers for estimating time-of-day of bloodstain deposition. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2023; 67:102915. [PMID: 37598452 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.102915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Obtaining forensically relevant information beyond who deposited a biological stain on how and under which circumstances it was deposited is a question of increasing importance in forensic molecular biology. In the past few years, several studies have been produced on the potential of gene expression analysis to deliver relevant contextualizing information, e.g. on nature and condition of a stain as well as aspects of stain deposition timing. However, previous attempts to predict the time-of-day of sample deposition were all based on and thus limited by previously described diurnal oscillators. Herein, we newly approached this goal by applying current sequencing technologies and statistical methods to identify novel candidate markers for forensic time-of-day predictions from whole transcriptome analyses. To this purpose, we collected whole blood samples from ten individuals at eight different time points throughout the day, performed whole transcriptome sequencing and applied biostatistical algorithms to identify 81 mRNA markers with significantly differential expression as candidates to predict the time of day. In addition, we performed qPCR analysis to assess the characteristics of a subset of 13 candidate predictors in dried and aged blood stains. While we demonstrated the general possibility of using the selected candidate markers to predict time-of-day of sample deposition, we also observed notable variation between different donors and storage conditions, highlighting the relevance of employing accurate quantification methods in combination with robust normalization procedures.This study's results are foundational and may be built upon when developing a targeted assay for time-of-day predictions from forensic blood samples in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Gosch
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - A Bhardwaj
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - C Courts
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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Euteneuer J, Moitinho-Silva L, Courts C. Towards localizing head shots – Forensic sub-differentiation of anatomical brain regions by differential RNA expression. Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigss.2022.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Gosch A, Bhardwaj A, Courts C. TrACES of time: Transcriptomic Analyses for the Contextualization of Evidential Stains – towards estimating the time of deposition. Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigss.2022.10.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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10
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Euteneuer J, Gosch A, Cachée P, Courts C. Correction to: A distant relationship?-investigation of correlations between DNA isolated from backspatter traces recovered from firearms, wound profile characteristics, and shooting distance. Int J Legal Med 2021; 135:2685. [PMID: 34459974 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-021-02626-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Euteneuer
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
| | - Annica Gosch
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
| | - Philipp Cachée
- Sachverständigenkanzlei Cachée, Pistoriusstrasse 6a, 13086, Berlin, Germany
| | - Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
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Salzmann AP, Bamberg M, Courts C, Dørum G, Gosch A, Hadrys T, Hadzic G, Neis M, Schneider PM, Sijen T, den Berge MV, Wiegand P, Haas C. mRNA profiling of mock casework samples: Results of a FoRNAP collaborative exercise. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2020; 50:102409. [PMID: 33220528 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2020.102409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, forensic mRNA profiling has increasingly been used to identify the origin of human body fluids. By now, several laboratories have implemented mRNA profiling and also use it in criminal casework. In 2018 the FoRNAP (Forensic RNA Profiling) group was established among a number of these laboratories with the aim of sharing experiences, discussing optimization potential, identifying challenges and suggesting solutions with regards to mRNA profiling and casework. To compare mRNA profiling methods and results a collaborative exercise was organized within the FoRNAP group. Seven laboratories from four countries received 16 stains, comprising six pure body fluid / tissue stains and ten mock casework samples. The laboratories were asked to analyze the provided stains with their in-house method (PCR/CE or MPS) and markers of choice. Five laboratories used a DNA/RNA co-extraction strategy. Overall, up to 11 mRNA markers per body fluid were analyzed. We found that mRNA profiling using different extraction and analysis methods as well as different multiplexes can be applied to casework-like samples. In general, high input samples were typed with high accuracy by all laboratories, regardless of the method used. Irrespective of the analysis strategy, samples of low input or mixed stains were more challenging to analyze and interpret since, alike to DNA profiling, a higher number of markers dropped out and/or additional unexpected markers not consistent with the cell type in question were detected. It could be shown that a plethora of different but valid analysis and interpretation strategies exist and are successfully applied in the Forensic Genetics community. Nevertheless, efforts aiming at optimizing and harmonizing interpretation approaches in order to achieve a higher consistency between laboratories might be desirable in the future. The simultaneous extraction of DNA alongside RNA showed to be an effective approach to identify not only the body fluid present but also to identify the donor(s) of the stain. This allows investigators to gain valuable information about the origin of crime scene samples and the course of events in a crime case.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Malte Bamberg
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital, University of Ulm, Germany
| | - Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Guro Dørum
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Annica Gosch
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Thorsten Hadrys
- Bavarian State Criminal Police Office, Institute of Forensic Sciences, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Maximilian Neis
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Peter M Schneider
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Titia Sijen
- Netherlands Forensic Institute, The Hague, the Netherlands
| | | | - Peter Wiegand
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital, University of Ulm, Germany
| | - Cordula Haas
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
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Gosch A, Euteneuer J, Preuß-Wössner J, Courts C. DNA transfer to firearms in alternative realistic handling scenarios. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2020; 48:102355. [PMID: 32707471 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2020.102355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 07/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Firearms are the most relevant items of evidence in gun-related crimes, likely bearing various traces facilitating an objective reconstruction of the crime. Trace DNA recovered from firearm surfaces might help to identify individual(s) having handled the firearm and thereby possibly to link the firearm and the corresponding shooter, however, the interpretation of DNA traces on handled items can be challenging and requires a detailed understanding of various factors impacting DNA prevalence, transfer, persistence and recovery. Herein, we aimed at improving our understanding of factors affecting the variability of trace DNA characteristics recovered from firearms handled in gun-related crimes: Skin contact traces were recovered from various outer surfaces of two types of firearms handled in four realistic, casework-relevant handling scenarios and the corresponding trace characteristics (DNA yield, number of contributors, relative profile contribution for known and unknown contributors, LRs) were compared. Trace DNA characteristics differed distinctly between handling conditions, firearm and surface types as well as handling individuals and intraindividual deposits emphasizing the variability and complexity of trace DNA profile composition expected to be recovered from firearms after realistic handling scenarios. The obtained results can provide useful insights for forensic experts evaluating alternative activity level propositions in gun-related crimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annica Gosch
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jan Euteneuer
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Johanna Preuß-Wössner
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany.
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13
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Euteneuer J, Gosch A, Cachée P, Courts C. First insights into the correlation of DNA quantity isolated from backspatter traces in firearms and the shooting distance. Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigss.2019.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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14
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Gosch A, Euteneuer J, Preuß-Wössner J, Courts C. Analysis of DNA transfer to firearms considering relevant alternative handling scenarios. Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigss.2019.10.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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15
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Euteneuer J, Gosch A, Cachée P, Courts C. Evaluation of the backspatter generation and wound profiles of an anatomically correct skull model for molecular ballistics. Int J Legal Med 2019; 133:1839-1850. [PMID: 31338573 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-019-02120-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Molecular ballistics connects the molecular genetic analysis of biological traces with the wounding events and complex forensic traces investigated in terminal ballistics. Backspatter, which originates from a projectile hitting a biological target when blood and/or tissue is propelled back into the direction of the gun, is of particular interest; those traces can consolidate and persist on the outer and inner surfaces of firearms and serve as evidence in criminal investigations. Herein, we are the first to present an anatomically correct head model for molecular ballistic research based on a polyurethane skull replica enclosing tissue-simulating sponge material that is doped with "triple-contrast" mixture (EDTA-blood, acrylic paint, and an x-ray contrast agent). Ten percent ballistic gelatin was used as brain simulant. We conducted contact and intermediate-range shots with a Glock 19 pistol (9 mm Luger), a pump-action shotgun (12/70 slugs), and blank cartridge handguns. Each shot was documented by a high-speed camera at 35,000 fps. Apart from the blank cartridge guns, all gunshots penetrated the skull model and created backspatter, which was recovered from the distal part of the barrels and analyzed. The pistol contact shots and one of three shotgun shots yielded full STR profiles. While the shotgun slugs destroyed the skulls, the remaining models could be used for radiological and optical fracture and wound channel evaluation. Known backspatter mechanisms and their respective timing could be confirmed visually by video analysis. Our complete model setup proved to be well applicable to molecular ballistic research as well as wound channel and fracture pattern investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Euteneuer
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Annica Gosch
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Philipp Cachée
- Sachverständigenbüro Cachée, Pistoriusstrasse 6a, 13086, Berlin, Germany
| | - Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany.
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16
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Courts C, Pfaffl MW, Sauer E, Parson W. Pleading for adherence to the MIQE-Guidelines when reporting quantitative PCR data in forensic genetic research. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2019; 42:e21-e24. [PMID: 31270013 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2019.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius Courts
- University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Michael W Pfaffl
- Technical University of Munich, Animal Physiology and Immunology, Freising, Germany
| | - Eva Sauer
- State Office of Criminal Investigation of Rhineland-Palatinate, Mainz, Germany
| | - Walther Parson
- Innsbruck Medical University, Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck, Austria; Forensic Science Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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Gosch A, Courts C. On DNA transfer: The lack and difficulty of systematic research and how to do it better. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2019; 40:24-36. [PMID: 30731249 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2019.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Since DNA from touched items and surfaces ("touch DNA") can successfully and reliably be analyzed, the question as to how a particular DNA containing sample came to be from where it was recovered is of increasing forensic interest and expert witnesses in court are increasingly challenged to assess for instance whether an incriminatory DNA sample matching to a suspect could have been transferred to the crime scene in an innocent manner and to guess at the probability of such an occurrence. The latter however will frequently entail expressing a subjective probability i.e. simply making a best guess from experience. There is, to the present date, an extensive and complex body of literature on primary, secondary, tertiary and even higher order DNA transfer, its possibility, plausibility, dependency on an array of variables and factors and vast numbers of permutations thereof. However, from our point of view there is a lack of systematic data on DNA transfer with existing research widely varying in quality and relevance. Our aim was, starting from a comprehensive survey of the status quo and appreciating its increasing importance, to in the first part of our review raise consciousness towards the underestimated and insufficiently accounted for complexity of DNA transfer and thus appendant research of forensic scientists serving as expert witnesses in court but also acting in the role of a journal referee to point them to areas of criticism when reviewing a manuscript on DNA transfer. In the second part, we present propositions how to systematize and integrate future research efforts concerning DNA transfer. Also, we present a searchable database providing an extensive overview of the current state of knowledge on DNA transfer, intended to facilitate the identification of relevant studies adding knowledge to a specific question and thus help forensic experts to base their opinion on a broader, more complete and more reproducible selection of studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annica Gosch
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Strasse 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Strasse 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany.
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18
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Courts C, Preuß-Wössner J. All mixed up?-genotype change after stem cell transplantation impeded verification of 21-year-old semen sample-a case report. Int J Legal Med 2019; 133:767-770. [PMID: 30617846 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-018-01995-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
We report a case of identity testing in which a patient charged us with the verification of a semen sample that he had donated and cryopreserved more than 20 years ago and now was suspecting of having been inadvertently interchanged. We found a non-match of the DNA profiles of the patient's blood and the semen samples but could show that this was due to the patient having received a stem cell transplantation of his full brother as part of a cancer therapy in 1997 which was not known to us when the samples were first tested. Also, the blood and semen samples exhibited a low probability of full sibship at first supporting the patient's suspicion that his semen sample might indeed have been interchanged. By also testing Y-STRs and including hair roots in the DNA analysis, we could show that the transplant did indeed originate from the patient's brother and that the semen sample did indeed originate from the patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Str. 12, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Johanna Preuß-Wössner
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Str. 12, Kiel, Germany
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Mehling LM, Spottke A, Heidbreder A, Young P, Madea B, Hess C, Courts C. Alterations in gene expression after gamma-hydroxybutyric acid intake—A pilot study. Int J Legal Med 2017; 131:1261-1270. [DOI: 10.1007/s00414-017-1609-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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20
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Schyma C, Bauer K, Brünig J, Courts C, Madea B. Staining in firearm barrels after experimental contact shots. Forensic Sci Int 2017; 273:64-70. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Revised: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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21
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Sauer E, Reinke AK, Courts C. Differentiation of five body fluids from forensic samples by expression analysis of four microRNAs using quantitative PCR. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2016; 22:89-99. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2016.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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22
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Sauer E, Reinke AK, Courts C. Validation of forensic body fluid identification based on empirically normalized miRNA expression data. Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigss.2015.09.183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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23
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Grabmüller M, Cachée P, Madea B, Courts C. How far does it get?--The effect of shooting distance and type of firearm on the simultaneous analysis of DNA and RNA from backspatter recovered from inside and outside surfaces of firearms. Forensic Sci Int 2015; 258:11-8. [PMID: 26625183 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Revised: 09/24/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
When a firearm projectile hits a biological target a spray of biological material (e.g. blood and tissue) is ejected from the entrance wound and propelled back into the direction of the firearm. This phenomenon has been termed 'backspatter' and if backspattered biological material reaches the firearm on its backward trajectory it may persist on and be recovered from the firearm's inside surfaces. Molecular genetic analysis of backspatter generated by contact shots and shots from very short distances has already been demonstrated to critically contribute to victim identification and the reconstruction of firearm-related crimes. It is not known, however, up to what shooting distance can backspatter be found on firearms' inside surfaces and what influence the weapon's type and caliber has on backspatter attributes (e.g. reach, amount and distribution). Therefore, the present pilot study investigated the effect of serval combinations of shooting distances and types of firearms and ammunitions on the analyzability of co-extracted DNA and micro-RNA in samples of backspatter collected from interior and exterior surfaces of the firearms after experimental shootings employing standardized ballistic models. We demonstrate the limiting effect of shooting distance and the type of firearm on the yield of nucleic acids recovered from backspatter and the success rates of forensic DNA profiling and RNA based body-fluid and organ tissue identification in experimental shootings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Grabmüller
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany
| | - Philipp Cachée
- Firearms and Ballistic Expert Witness P. Cachée, Birkenweg 6, 14554 Neuseddin, Germany
| | - Burkhard Madea
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany
| | - Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany.
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24
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Grabmüller M, Schyma C, Euteneuer J, Madea B, Courts C. Simultaneous analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, mRNA and miRNA from backspatter from inside parts of firearms generated by shots at "triple contrast" doped ballistic models. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2015. [PMID: 26210238 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-015-9695-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
When a firearm projectile hits a biological target a spray of biological material (e.g., blood and tissue fragments) can be propelled from the entrance wound back towards the firearm. This phenomenon has become known as "backspatter" and if caused by contact shots or shots from short distances traces of backspatter may reach, consolidate on, and be recovered from, the inside surfaces of the firearm. Thus, a comprehensive investigation of firearm-related crimes must not only comprise of wound ballistic assessment but also backspatter analysis, and may even take into account potential correlations between these emergences. The aim of the present study was to evaluate and expand the applicability of the "triple contrast" method by probing its compatibility with forensic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA and the simultaneous investigation of co-extracted mRNA and miRNA from backspatter collected from internal components of different types of firearms after experimental shootings. We demonstrate that "triple contrast" stained biological samples collected from the inside surfaces of firearms are amenable to forensic co-analysis of DNA and RNA and permit sequence analysis of the entire mtDNA displacement-loop, even for "low template" DNA amounts that preclude standard short tandem repeat DNA analysis. Our findings underscore the "triple contrast" method's usefulness as a research tool in experimental forensic ballistics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Grabmüller
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111, Bonn, Germany
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Haas C, Hanson E, Banemann R, Bento A, Berti A, Carracedo Á, Courts C, Cock GD, Drobnic K, Fleming R, Franchi C, Gomes I, Hadzic G, Harbison S, Hjort B, Hollard C, Hoff-Olsen P, Keyser C, Kondili A, Maroñas O, McCallum N, Miniati P, Morling N, Niederstätter H, Noël F, Parson W, Porto M, Roeder A, Sauer E, Schneider P, Shanthan G, Sijen T, Syndercombe Court D, Turanská M, van den Berge M, Vennemann M, Vidaki A, Zatkalíková L, Ballantyne J. RNA/DNA co-analysis from human skin and contact traces – results of a sixth collaborative EDNAP exercise. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2015; 16:139-147. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2015.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2014] [Revised: 12/12/2014] [Accepted: 01/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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26
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Grabmüller M, Madea B, Courts C. Comparative evaluation of different extraction and quantification methods for forensic RNA analysis. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2015; 16:195-202. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2015.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2014] [Revised: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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27
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Courts C, Sauer E, Hofmann Y, Madea B, Schyma C. Assessment of STR Typing Success Rate in Soft Tissues from Putrefied Bodies Based on a Quantitative Grading System for Putrefaction. J Forensic Sci 2015; 60:1016-21. [DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.12746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Revised: 04/30/2014] [Accepted: 06/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Eva Sauer
- Institute of Legal Medicine; University of Bonn; Bonn Germany
| | - Yaiza Hofmann
- Institute of Legal Medicine; University of Bonn; Bonn Germany
| | - Burkhard Madea
- Institute of Legal Medicine; University of Bonn; Bonn Germany
| | - Christian Schyma
- Institute of Legal Medicine; University of Bonn; Bonn Germany
- Institute of Legal Medicine; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
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Gallala H, Winter J, Veit N, Nowak M, Perner S, Courts C, Kraus D, Janzen V, Probstmeier R. Staurosporine analogs promote distinct patterns of process outgrowth and polyploidy in small cell lung carcinoma cells. Tumour Biol 2014; 36:2725-35. [PMID: 25487614 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-014-2897-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
We have recently shown that staurosporine mediates the conversion of small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) cells into a neuron-like process-bearing phenotype. Here, we have extended these studies to the staurosporine analogs K252a, lestaurtinib, PKC412, stauprimide, and UCN-01 and analyzed their influence on process extension, cell cycle distribution, and induction of polyploidy in four SCLC cell lines. In GLC-2 cells, all compounds provoked extensive process formation with the exception of PKC412 that showed no response. In H1184 cells, process formation was predominantly induced by staurosporine and, to lesser extent, in lestaurtinib-, stauprimide-, and UCN-01-treated cells. In the presence of K252a or PKC412, cells became bipolar and spindle shaped or showed pronounced cell flattening. In GLC-36 and SCLC-24H cells, only cell flattening was detectable. Process formation was reversible upon drug removal as shown for GLC-2 and H1184 cells. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis indicated the induction of polyploidy in all staurosporine and in two out of four stauprimide-treated SCLC cell lines. For other staurosporine analogs, polyploidy was observed only in UCN-01-treated GLC-36 cells and in K252a-treated H1184 and GLC-36 cells. The presence of staurosporine or its analogs did not alter the constitutive activation pattern of the canonical Akt/PI3K or MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 signaling pathways nor could we detect an influence of stauprimide application on the expression level of the c-Myc oncogene. These data demonstrate that in SCLC cells, albeit a higher substrate specificity, staurosporine analogs can induce staurosporine-comparable effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hichem Gallala
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Sauer E, Babion I, Madea B, Courts C. An evidence based strategy for normalization of quantitative PCR data from miRNA expression analysis in forensic organ tissue identification. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2014; 13:217-23. [PMID: 25203915 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2014.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2014] [Revised: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 08/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Messenger-RNA (mRNA)-based analysis of organ tissues and their differentiation in complex crime stains has recently been introduced as a potential and powerful tool to forensic genetics. Given the notoriously low quality of many forensic samples it seems advisable, though, to substitute mRNA with micro-RNA (miRNA) which is much less susceptible to degradation. However, reliable miRNA detection and quantification using quantitative PCR requires a solid and forensically relevant normalization strategy. In our study we evaluated a panel of 15 carefully selected reference genes for their suitability as endogenous controls in miRNA qPCR normalization in forensically relevant settings. We analyzed assay performances and expression variances in 35 individual samples and mixtures thereof integrating highly standardized protocols with contemporary methodologies and included several well-established computational algorithms. Based on these empirical results, we recommend SNORD48, SNORD24, and RNU6-2 as endogenous references since these exhibit the most stable expression levels and the least expected variation among the evaluated candidate reference genes in the given set of forensically relevant organ tissues including skin. To account for the lack of consensus on how best to perform and interpret quantitative PCR experiments, our study's documentation is according to MIQE guidelines, defining the "minimum information for publication of quantitative real-time PCR experiments".
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Sauer
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany
| | - Iris Babion
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany
| | - Burkhard Madea
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany
| | - Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany.
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Murmann T, Carrillo-García C, Veit N, Courts C, Glassmann A, Janzen V, Madea B, Reinartz M, Harzen A, Nowak M, Perner S, Winter J, Probstmeier R. Staurosporine and extracellular matrix proteins mediate the conversion of small cell lung carcinoma cells into a neuron-like phenotype. PLoS One 2014; 9:e86910. [PMID: 24586258 PMCID: PMC3938400 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2013] [Accepted: 12/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung carcinomas (SCLCs) represent highly aggressive tumors with an overall five-year survival rate in the range of 5 to 10%. Here, we show that four out of five SCLC cell lines reversibly develop a neuron-like phenotype on extracellular matrix constituents such as fibronectin, laminin or thrombospondin upon staurosporine treatment in an RGD/integrin-mediated manner. Neurite-like processes extend rapidly with an average speed of 10 µm per hour. Depending on the cell line, staurosporine treatment affects either cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase or induction of polyploidy. Neuron-like conversion, although not accompanied by alterations in the expression pattern of a panel of neuroendocrine genes, leads to changes in protein expression as determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. It is likely that SCLC cells already harbour the complete molecular repertoire to convert into a neuron-like phenotype. More extensive studies are needed to evaluate whether the conversion potential of SCLC cells is suitable for therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Murmann
- Neuro- and Tumor Cell Biology Group, Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Nadine Veit
- Neuro- and Tumor Cell Biology Group, Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | | | - Viktor Janzen
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Burkhard Madea
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Markus Reinartz
- Oral Cell Biology Group, Department of Periodontology, Operative and Preventive Dentistry, Bonn, Germany
| | - Anne Harzen
- Proteomics Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Michael Nowak
- Department of Prostate Cancer Research, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sven Perner
- Department of Prostate Cancer Research, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jochen Winter
- Oral Cell Biology Group, Department of Periodontology, Operative and Preventive Dentistry, Bonn, Germany
| | - Rainer Probstmeier
- Neuro- and Tumor Cell Biology Group, Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Courts C, Gahr B, Madea B, Schyma C. Persistence of biological traces at inside parts of a firearm from a case of multiple familial homicide. J Forensic Sci 2014; 59:1129-32. [PMID: 24528165 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.12434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2013] [Revised: 05/28/2013] [Accepted: 06/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Backspatter from wounds caused by contact shots against a biological target had before been shown to be propelled into firearms' barrels where they can persist and be retrieved from as relevant forensic evidence. Herein, that insight was applied to the investigation of a case of multiple familial homicide with a firearm. Samples of backspatter were collected from the firearm using DNA-free swabs. DNA was extracted from the swabs, and 16 STR systems were PCR-amplified to generate DNA profiles of all victims shot by the firearm. The quality of the resulting DNA profiles was sufficient to exclude the perpetrator as donor and to differentiate the three closely related victims thereby proving that all three victims had been shot by the same firearm from very close or contact distance. A key insight gained from this case was that not only a firearms' barrel inside but other inner surfaces may be charged with profilable DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111, Bonn, Germany
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Lux C, Schyma C, Madea B, Courts C. Identification of gunshots to the head by detection of RNA in backspatter primarily expressed in brain tissue. Forensic Sci Int 2014; 237:62-9. [PMID: 24598119 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2013] [Revised: 01/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Traces of backspatter recovered from the inside of the barrel of a gun that was used to deliver suicidal or homicidal contact shots may be a source of valuable forensic evidence and first systematic investigations of the persistence of victim DNA from inside firearms have been presented. The aim of the present study was to include victim RNA in such analyses to determine the origin of tissues in addition and parallel to standard DNA profiling for forensic identification purposes. In a first step, suitable mRNA (C1orf61) and micro-RNAs (miR-124a and miR-124*) that are primarily expressed in brain tissue were selected from potential candidates and confirmed using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Secondly, a co-extraction procedure for RNA and DNA was established and brain differentiability of the selected RNAs was demonstrated via qPCR using samples from experimental shots at ballistic models. In a third step, this procedure was successfully applied to analyse samples from real casework comprising eight cases of suicidal contact shots. In this pilot study, we are first to report the possibility of co-extracting mRNA, miRNA and DNA from ballistic trace samples collected from the inside of firearms and we demonstrate that RNA and DNA based analyses can be performed in parallel to produce informative and highly complementary evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constantin Lux
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Christian Schyma
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Burkhard Madea
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Haas C, Hanson E, Anjos MJ, Ballantyne KN, Banemann R, Bhoelai B, Borges E, Carvalho M, Courts C, De Cock G, Drobnic K, Dötsch M, Fleming R, Franchi C, Gomes I, Hadzic G, Harbison SA, Harteveld J, Hjort B, Hollard C, Hoff-Olsen P, Hüls C, Keyser C, Maroñas O, McCallum N, Moore D, Morling N, Niederstätter H, Noël F, Parson W, Phillips C, Popielarz C, Roeder AD, Salvaderi L, Sauer E, Schneider PM, Shanthan G, Court DS, Turanská M, van Oorschot RAH, Vennemann M, Vidaki A, Zatkalíková L, Ballantyne J. RNA/DNA co-analysis from human menstrual blood and vaginal secretion stains: results of a fourth and fifth collaborative EDNAP exercise. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2013; 8:203-12. [PMID: 24315610 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2013.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2013] [Accepted: 09/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The European DNA Profiling Group (EDNAP) organized a fourth and fifth collaborative exercise on RNA/DNA co-analysis for body fluid identification and STR profiling. The task was to identify dried menstrual blood and vaginal secretion stains using specific RNA biomarkers, and additionally test 3 housekeeping genes for their suitability as reference genes. Six menstrual blood and six vaginal secretion stains, two dilution series (1/4-1/64 pieces of a menstrual blood/vaginal swab) and, optionally, bona fide or mock casework samples of human or non-human origin were analyzed by 24 participating laboratories, using RNA extraction or RNA/DNA co-extraction methods. Two novel menstrual blood mRNA multiplexes were used: MMP triplex (MMP7, MMP10, MMP11) and MB triplex (MSX1, LEFTY2, SFRP4) in conjunction with a housekeeping gene triplex (B2M, UBC, UCE). Two novel mRNA multiplexes and a HBD1 singleplex were used for the identification of vaginal secretion: Vag triplex (MYOZ1, CYP2B7P1 and MUC4) and a Lactobacillus-specific Lacto triplex (Ljen, Lcris, Lgas). The laboratories used different chemistries and instrumentation and all were able to successfully isolate and detect mRNA in dried stains. The simultaneous extraction of RNA and DNA allowed for positive identification of the tissue/fluid source of origin by mRNA profiling as well as a simultaneous identification of the body fluid donor by STR profiling, also from old and compromised casework samples. The results of this and the previous collaborative RNA exercises support RNA profiling as a reliable body fluid identification method that can easily be combined with current STR typing technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Haas
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
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Courts C, Grabmüller M, Madea B. Functional single-nucleotide variant of HSPD1 in sudden infant death syndrome. Pediatr Res 2013; 74:380-3. [PMID: 23823174 DOI: 10.1038/pr.2013.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2012] [Accepted: 02/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An insufficient stress response due to a genetically impaired heat shock protein (Hsp) could play a role in the pathogenesis in a subgroup of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) cases. Herein, we are the first to investigate whether a functionally impairing and thus pathogenic variant of the gene for Hsp60, encoded by HSPD1 (rs72466451), is correlated with the occurrence of SIDS. METHODS In a case-control study of a series of 133 cases of SIDS and 192 gender-matched German Caucasian control cases, the occurrence and distribution of the HSPD1 single-nucleotide variant (SNV) was analyzed using SNV genotyping by minisequencing. RESULTS The results show significantly increased frequency of the pathogenic variant of the HSPD1 SNV in a subgroup (4.5%) of SIDS cases. CONCLUSION The results suggest that the pathogenic variant of rs72466451 may play a role in a subgroup of SIDS cases with impaired Hsp60-mediated stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius Courts
- Department of Forensic Genetics, Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Courts C, Grabmüller M, Madea B. Monoamine oxidase A gene polymorphism and the pathogenesis of sudden infant death syndrome. J Pediatr 2013; 163:89-93. [PMID: 23391042 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.12.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2012] [Revised: 12/07/2012] [Accepted: 12/20/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that there is a significant association between functionally relevant allelic variants of the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) polymorphism and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). STUDY DESIGN In a case-control study of 142 cases of SIDS and 280 sex-matched control cases, the distribution of allelic and genotype variants of a promoter polymorphism of the MAO-A gene was examined using polymerase chain reaction locus amplification and fluorescence based fragment length analysis. RESULTS There was a significantly differential distribution of allelic and genotype variants between females with SIDS and controls. Moreover, there was a significant association between SIDS in females and allelic and genotype variants, each related to a higher transcriptional activity at the MAO-A locus. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest a role of MAO-A in female SIDS pathogenesis exerted by functionally relevant allelic and genotype variants of the MAO-A polymorphism. However, with the complex and inconsistent evidence available to date, the impact of the MAO-A promoter polymorphism on SIDS etiology remains unclear.
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Courts C, Grabmüller M, Madea B. Dysregulation of heart and brain specific micro-RNA in sudden infant death syndrome. Forensic Sci Int 2013; 228:70-4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.02.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Revised: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 02/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Courts C, Sauer E, Hofmann Y, Madea B, Schyma C. Assessment of DNA profilability from putrefied bodies based on a newly developed quantitative grading system for putrefaction. Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigss.2013.10.134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Schyma C, Madea B, Courts C. Persistence of biological traces in gun barrels after fatal contact shots. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2012; 7:22-7. [PMID: 22683116 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2012.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2012] [Revised: 04/24/2012] [Accepted: 05/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In the majority of cases suicidal shots are put to the head. Typically the gun's muzzle is held against the head. The aim of the present prospective study was to investigate whether victim DNA could reliably be recovered from the inside of the barrels of firearms that were used in 20 cases of homicidal or suicidal close contact shots. Additionally, it was investigated whether such biological traces were eliminated by subsequent firing. After autopsy sterile swabs were used to collect samples from the anterior part of the barrel thereby avoiding the muzzle. In some cases prior endoscopic inspection had revealed traces of blood and soft tissue in the barrel. For 16 cases, another swab was used to also collect sample from the posterior part of the barrel entering from its rear end. Then one shot was fired through the weapon using the same ammunition as in the suicidal shot and the sampling procedure was repeated. DNA was extracted using a magnetic beads based protocol, quantified, and STR-systems were amplified using several commercially available multiplex-STR-PCR-kits. For samples taken after the first shot DNA-analysis yielded STR profiles eligible for reliable individualization in 17 of 20 cases. After a second shot had been fired 8 or more STR systems were amplified successfully in 14 of 20 barrels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Schyma
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany.
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Courts C, Madea B, Schyma C. Persistence of biological traces in gun barrels--an approach to an experimental model. Int J Legal Med 2011; 126:391-7. [PMID: 22160245 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-011-0655-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2011] [Accepted: 11/29/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Traces of backspatter in gun barrels after homicidal or suicidal contact shots may be a valuable source of forensic evidence. Yet, a systematic investigation of the persistence and durability of DNA from biological traces in gun barrels is lacking. Our aim was to generate a realistic model to emulate blood and tissue spatters in gun barrels generated by contact gunshots at biological targets and to analyse the persistence and typability of DNA recovered from such stains. Herein, we devise and evaluate three different models for the emulation of backspatter from contact shots: a gelatine-based model with embedded blood bags, a model based on a spongious matrix soaked with blood and covered with a thin plastic membrane and a head model consisting of an acrylic half sphere filled with ballistic gelatine and with blood bags attached to the sphere under a 3-mm silicone layer. The sampling procedure for all three models: a first shot was fired with several types of guns at each model construction and subsequently a second shot was fired at a backstop. Blood samples were collected after each shot by probing the inner surface of the front and rear end of the respective gun barrel with a sterile swab. DNA was then extracted and quantified and up to 20 different short tandem repeat (STR) systems were amplified to generate DNA profiles. Although DNA quantity and STR typing results were heterogenous between the models, all models succeeded in delivering full STR profiles even after more than one shot. We conclude that biological traces in gun barrels are robust and accessible to forensic analysis and that systematic examination of the inside of gun barrels may be advisable for forensic casework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111, Bonn, Germany.
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Abstract
Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNA (ncRNA) molecules with a length of 18-24 nucleotides which play an essential regulative role for many cellular processes. Evidence suggests that the miRNome is a more precise and meaningful representation of a cell type and condition than the mRNA transcriptome. To identify miRNAs that are suitable for forensic body-fluid identification, a global screening by microarray analysis of c. 800 miRNAs of forensic blood and saliva samples was performed, and by bioinformatic processing, three differentially expressed candidate miRNAs for saliva and blood each were selected. The six candidates were then validated and confirmed via quantitative PCR. Herein, we present miRNA assays consisting of three differentially expressed miRNAs for the identification of blood (miR-126, miR-150, miR-451) and saliva (miR-200c, miR-203, miR-205), respectively. We conclude that miRNA extraction from forensic samples is possible and support a "proof of concept" that body-fluid identification by miRNA analysis may become a potent forensic technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany.
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Abstract
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) constitutes a considerable percentage of infant death of unknown etiology. Individual catecholamine response variation is suspected to play a role in SIDS. TH01 is a tetrameric short tandem repeat marker in the tyrosine hydroxylase gene, which regulates gene expression and catecholamine production with allele 9.3 exerting a particularly strong effect on noradrenaline production. We investigated in an age-controlled study the TH01 allele frequencies in 127 cases of SIDS and 406 control cases to assess whether in SIDS cases a distinct TH01 allele distribution could be determined as has been reported by a previous study. We found that genotypes containing one or two 9.3 alleles were significantly more frequent in SIDS patients (58.2%) than in control subjects (48.4%, p=0.038), whereas all other alleles were more frequent in the control subjects. Our findings support the notion that there exists a significant association between TH01 gene configuration and SIDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany.
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Abstract
The sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is currently defined as "the sudden unexpected death of an infant less than 1 year of age with onset of the fatal episode apparently occurring during sleep, that remains unexplained after a thorough investigation". SIDS, whose etiology remains rather vague, is still the major cause of death among infants between 1 month and 1 year of age in industrialized countries with varying incidences in different populations. Herein, after touching on definitory approaches and several current hypotheses concerning SIDS etiology, we focus on the triple risk model of SIDS and discuss two large classes of genetic factors potentially contributing to or predisposing for the generation of a vulnerable infant that, when encountering an environmental trigger, may succumb to SIDS. We conclude by acknowledging that for the integration of the vast and complex genetic evidence concerning SIDS, a lot more research will be required and we briefly discuss the potential use of recently presented animal models for functional studies of SIDS pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
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Abstract
Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNA (ncRNA) molecules with a length of 18 to 24 nucleotides which play an essential regulative role for many cellular processes. Whereas mRNA-analysis has become a well established technique in many forensic laboratories, micro-RNA has only recently been introduced to forensic science. Herein we provide a short outline of biogenesis, mode of function and regulation of miRNAs and take a look at tissue and cell specific miRNA expression. After recapitulating the role of mRNA analysis in forensic science we compare it to miRNA analysis and discuss the results of two recent studies applying miRNA analysis to a forensic research setting. We conclude that analysis of miRNA and perhaps small non-coding RNAs in general clearly has potential for forensic applications and merits attention of forensic scientists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius Courts
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
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Schwarzenberger A, Courts C, von Elert E. Target gene approaches: Gene expression in Daphnia magna exposed to predator-borne kairomones or to microcystin-producing and microcystin-free Microcystis aeruginosa. BMC Genomics 2009; 10:527. [PMID: 19917101 PMCID: PMC2784803 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-10-527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2008] [Accepted: 11/16/2009] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Two major biological stressors of freshwater zooplankton of the genus Daphnia are predation and fluctuations in food quality. Here we use kairomones released from a planktivorous fish (Leucaspius delineatus) and from an invertebrate predator (larvae of Chaoborus flavicans) to simulate predation pressure; a microcystin-producing culture of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and a microcystin-deficient mutant are used to investigate effects of low food quality. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) allows quantification of the impact of biotic stressors on differential gene activity. The draft genome sequence for Daphnia pulex facilitates the use of candidate genes by precisely identifying orthologs to functionally characterized genes in other model species. This information is obtained by constructing phylogenetic trees of candidate genes with the knowledge that the Daphnia genome is composed of many expanded gene families. RESULTS We evaluated seven candidate reference genes for QPCR in Daphnia magna after exposure to kairomones. As a robust approach, a combination normalisation factor (NF) was calculated based on the geometric mean of three of these seven reference genes: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, TATA-box binding protein and succinate dehydrogenase. Using this NF, expression of the target genes actin and alpha-tubulin were revealed to be unchanged in the presence of the tested kairomones. The presence of fish kairomone up-regulated one gene (cyclophilin) involved in the folding of proteins, whereas Chaoborus kairomone down-regulated the same gene.We evaluated the same set of candidate reference genes for QPCR in Daphnia magna after exposure to a microcystin-producing and a microcystin-free strain of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. The NF was calculated based on the reference genes 18S ribosomal RNA, alpha-tubulin and TATA-box binding protein. We found glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and ubiquitin conjugating enzyme to be up-regulated in the presence of microcystins in the food of D. magna. These findings demonstrate that certain enzymes of glycolysis and protein catabolism are significantly upregulated when daphnids ingest microcystins. Each differentially regulated gene is a member of an expanded gene family in the D. pulex genome. The cyclophilin, GapDH and UBC genes show moderately large sequence divergence from their closest paralogs. Yet actin and alpha-tubulin genes targeted by our study have nearly identical paralogs at the amino acid level. CONCLUSION Gene expression analysis using a normalisation factor based on three reference genes showed that transcription levels of actin and alpha-tubulin were not substantially changed by predator-borne chemical cues from fishes or invertebrates, although changes in expression on the protein level were shown elsewhere. These changes in protein level could be caused by others than the investigated paralogs, showing the importance of the construction of phylogenetic trees for candidate gene approaches. However, fish kairomones caused an up-regulation, and Chaoborus kairomone caused a down-regulation of cyclophylin, which proved to be a potential target gene for further analysis of kairomone effects on the life history of daphnids. Changes in food quality required a different set of reference genes compared to the kairomone experiment. The presence of dietary microcystins led to an up-regulation of two genes involved in the basic metabolism of D. magna, i.e. glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and ubiquitin conjugating enzyme, which suggests that microcystins in cyanobacteria have more general effects on the metabolism of D. magna than previously thought. Phylogenetic trees resolving relationships among paralogs that share the same gene name are shown to be important for determining the identity of the candidate genes under investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Schwarzenberger
- University of Cologne, Zoological Institute, Aquatic Chemical Ecology, Weyertal 119, 50923 Cologne, Germany
| | - Cornelius Courts
- University Hospital Cologne, Department of Neuropathology, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
- University Hospital Bonn, Institute for Forensic Medicine, Stiftsplatz 12, 53111 Bonn, Germany
| | - Eric von Elert
- University of Cologne, Zoological Institute, Aquatic Chemical Ecology, Weyertal 119, 50923 Cologne, Germany
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Courts C, Montesinos-Rongen M, Martin-Subero JI, Brunn A, Siemer D, Zühlke-Jenisch R, Pels H, Jürgens A, Schlegel U, Schmidt-Wolf IGH, Schaller C, Reifenberger G, Sabel M, Warnecke-Eberz U, Wiestler OD, Küppers R, Siebert R, Deckert M. Transcriptional profiling of the nuclear factor-kappaB pathway identifies a subgroup of primary lymphoma of the central nervous system with low BCL10 expression. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2007; 66:230-7. [PMID: 17356384 DOI: 10.1097/01.jnen.0000248553.45456.96] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies point to a role of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB signaling in a subset of diffuse large B cell lymphomas. We have analyzed the expression of 21 genes encoding NF-kappaB family members, upstream modulators, and targets in 32 primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSLs) by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Compared with nonmalignant germinal center centroblasts, expression of BCL10, REL, IAP1, and TRAF1 was significantly lower in PCNSLs, whereas that of BAX, BCLXL, BCL2, MALT1, CARD9, CARD10, CARD11, CARD14, CCND2, cFLIP, RELA, RELB, NFKB1, NFKB2, and IRF4 was higher. Hierarchical clustering of gene expression data revealed two distinct subgroups of PCNSLs, which were characterized by significantly different transcriptional levels, predominantly of BCL10, but also of REL and IAP1. Thus, these quantitative RT-PCR data with expression of genes of the NF-kappaB family as well as NF-kappaB-regulated genes together with immunohistochemical detection of nuclear RELA and REL indicate activation of the NF-kappaB pathway in PCNSLs, which may contribute to their high proliferative activity and the low level of apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius Courts
- Department of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Stenzel W, Dahm J, Sanchez-Ruiz M, Miletic H, Hermann M, Courts C, Schwindt H, Utermöhlen O, Schlüter D, Deckert M. Regulation of the inflammatory response to Staphylococcus aureus-induced brain abscess by interleukin-10. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2006; 64:1046-57. [PMID: 16319715 DOI: 10.1097/01.jnen.0000189836.48704.ca] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
A characteristic of brain abscess is a localized suppurative infection leading to substantial damage of the adjacent central nervous system tissue. The orchestrated interplay of pro- and antiinflammatory cytokines released by leukocytes as well as resident cells of the central nervous system is crucial for both an effective host defense and for limiting tissue damage in brain abscess. To study the regulatory role of interleukin (IL)-10 in brain abscess in vivo, IL-10-deficient (IL-10(0/0)) mice were stereotaxically infected with Staphylococcus aureus-laden agarose beads. Increased numbers of intracerebral (IC) granulocytes, macrophages, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and higher levels of TNF, IL-1beta, and iNOS were observed in IL-10(0/0) mice than in wild-type mice, whereas chemokines were induced earlier and more pronounced in wild-type mice. Together with prominent microvascular hemorrhage, necrotic vasculitis, severe brain edema, and markedly increased abscess size, these alterations led to an increased morbidity of IL-10(0/0) mice. Nevertheless, the hyperinflammatory response of IL-10(0/0) mice did not improve bacterial elimination. Collectively, these data outline the important role of IL-10 in vivo for the regulation of the IC host immune response in experimental S. aureus-induced brain abscess.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner Stenzel
- Abteilung für Neuropathologie, Universität zu Köln, Köln, Germany.
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Montesinos-Rongen M, Schmitz R, Courts C, Stenzel W, Bechtel D, Niedobitek G, Blümcke I, Reifenberger G, von Deimling A, Jungnickel B, Wiestler OD, Küppers R, Deckert M. Absence of immunoglobulin class switch in primary lymphomas of the central nervous system. Am J Pathol 2005; 166:1773-9. [PMID: 15920162 PMCID: PMC1602401 DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9440(10)62487-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Primary lymphomas of the central nervous system (PCNSLs) were investigated for their capacity to perform further maturation steps. We studied a series of 11 PCNSLs derived from immunocompetent patients for immunoglobulin (Ig) class switch recombination (CSR) by performing reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for transcripts of Ig constant region gene segments (IGHC). This analysis revealed exclusive transcription of IgM and IgD mRNA in the absence of IgG, IgA, or IgE transcription. This finding was corroborated at the protein level by the immunohistochemical demonstration of IgM on the surface of the tumor cells. The unexpected lack of CSR may be due to internal switch mu region deletions, which were detected in 7 of 11 cases. We also found that expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), which is required for CSR and somatic hypermutation, was detectable by RT-PCR in 4 of 10 cases and by immunohistochemistry in one of three cases analyzed. This may indicate that ongoing somatic mutation, which is often observed in PCNSL, could be due to sustained AID expression in a fraction of cases and that intraclonal V gene diversity may occur in other cases at an earlier phase of tumor clone expansion, when AID may have been expressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Montesinos-Rongen
- Department of Neuropathology, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 9, D-50931 Köln, Germany
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