The impact of mtDNA analysis between positions nt8306 and nt9021 for forensic casework

Micaela Poetsch; Holger Wittig; Dieter Krause; Eberhard Lignitz

doi:10.1016/j.mito.2003.08.004

The impact of mtDNA analysis between positions nt8306 and nt9021 for forensic casework

Mitochondrion. 2003 Nov;3(3):133-7. doi: 10.1016/j.mito.2003.08.004.

Authors

Micaela Poetsch¹, Holger Wittig, Dieter Krause, Eberhard Lignitz

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Forensic Medicine, Ernst Moritz Arndt-Universität, Kuhstrasse 30, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany. [email protected]

PMID: 16120352
DOI: 10.1016/j.mito.2003.08.004

Abstract

Identification in forensic casework by mtDNA sequencing is predominantly done by sequencing the non-coding control region (HVI and HVII). In an attempt to further increase the discriminatory power of mtDNA analysis, we sequenced a coding region between nt8306 and nt9021 to identify additional polymorphisms in a group of 61 unrelated German individuals who had mtDNA profiles that occurred more than two times each, as well as a control group of 119 unrelated Germans whose profiles occurred one or two times each. Within these 180 individuals, 38 different polymorphisms in this region were observed; 64.4% of these individuals displayed the Cambridge reference sequence profile plus A8860G. For 28 individuals with the two most common profiles, A263G-315.1insC (N = 18) and A263G-309.1insC-315.1insC (N = 10), additional polymorphisms in this coding region permitted further discrimination of 56 and 40% of the individuals, respectively.