DNA Forensic Identification

Ashley Kowaleski I400

Objectives
What is forensic science? How and when did forensics begin? When was DNA identification discovered? What is DNA identification used to determine? What exactly are forensic scientist looking for? What is the process does DNA identification involve?  How are criminals processed?  What is the outlook for the future?      

Forensic Science
 Process of gathering and examining evidence of a crime  First practiced forensic medicine in 1958  Italy  Application of medical knowledge to legal questions

Unique Identifiers
 Fingerprints
 When a persons hand touched a surface, it left a barely visible mark  Each persons fingerprint is a unique identifier of that person, no two peoples are alike

 DNA
 Genetic material that is found in DNA is also a unique identifier  Not until1985 when DNA became part of forensic science

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

 Nucleic acid that carries the genetic information  Double helix  2 long chains of nucleotides twisted and joined by hydrogen bonds  Can be found in white blood cells  Polymorphic: vary in shape from person to person

DNA Identification
 Uses
 Investigations of criminal cases involving victims
     Assault Kidnapping Robbery Rape Murder

Catastrophe victims Paternity/family relationships Identify endangered and protected species Detect bacteria/organisms that may pollute the air, water, food, and soil  Match organ donors with recipients  Determine pedigree for seed/livestock breeds  Authenticate consumables such as caviar and wine    

Short Tandem Repeats (STR)

 STR regions are nucleotides along the backbone of a chromosome  13 markers used in forensic science  Classified into groups depending on the size of the repeat regions
 Mini satellites  Micro satellites

 The chance that any two peoples DNA fingerprint for a particular set of regions is exceptionally small
 1/10th of a single % of DNA, about 3 million bp, differ from one person to the next

The Process
Isolation Quantifying Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Short Tandem Repeat-Polymerase Chain RepeatReaction (STR-PCR) (STR Interpretation  Database

   

Isolation
 Scientist extract DNA from the nucleus of cells in tissue  Quality of tissue DNA samples degrades as body decomposes  1-4 hours

Quantifying
 Tests are run to determine the amount of DNA recovered  Targeted amount 1 nanogram (billionth of a gram)  If inadequate quantity, isolation must be repeated  1-2 hours

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

 One of the most popular and widely used techniques in molecular biology  Reproduces millions of exact copies of specific fragments of DNA  Enables even highly degraded samples to be analyzed  3 hours

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

Based on polymerase enzyme Break apart double helix, two single strands Rebuild two strands into two complete helixes DNA deposited into polymerases and nucleotides  Repeated rapidly, doubling amount of DNA    

STRSTR-PCR
 Mainly same process  Focus solely on STR regions  Since these repeat regions are usually bounded by specific restriction enzyme sites, it is possible to cut out the segment of the chromosome

Capillary Electrophoresis (CE)

 Early 1990s  Automated analytical technique  Generally used for separating ions, which move at different speeds when the voltage is applied depending on their size and charge. The solutes are seen as peaks as they pass through the detector  Area of each peak is proportional to their concentration  Produces a chart mapping a persons exact genetic makeup  This is the information used to compare suspects to a crime  http://chemi.muni.cz/~analytika/ce/ce-animation.gif http://chemi.muni.cz/~analytika/ce/ce-

Capillary Electrophoresis

Interpretation
 A DNA scientist reviews the DNA profile produced through the capillary electrophoresis to determine if there is a match  STR markers are examined (2-5 bp) (2 1-3 are not enough to determine is the sample came from the suspect  4-5, beyond a reasonable doubt  5 very rare

National DNA Databank: CODIS

 The COmbined DNA Index System COmbined  Blends computer and DNA technologies into a tool for fighting crime  2 indexes
 Convicted Offender Index
 DNA profiles of individuals convicted of criminal crimes

 Forensic Index
 DNA profiles developed from crime scene evidence

 All profiles stored in CODIS are generated using STR analysis

The Future
 March 2004: President Bush proposed $1 billion in funding over the next 5 years
      Reduce DNA testing backlog Build crime lab capacity Stimulate research and development Support training Protect the innocent Identify missing persons