NCJ Number
145915
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 38 Issue: 6 Dated: (November 1993) Pages: 1491-1501
Date Published
1993
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Protamines are among the most variable nuclear proteins known in eukaryotes. To learn more about their evolution and function in humans and to explore the possibility of potential applications in forensic medicine, the authors developed a rapid method to amplify and directly sequence the protamine P1 gene simultaneously in many different samples. The method takes only 3.5 h from genomic DNA to the sequencing reactions. Despite the high variability of these genes, only one polymorphic site was detected at the coding region level in different individuals. This polymorphic variation does not create a change in the amino-acid sequence of the protamine. Because all the protamine genes sequenced from different species are markedly different among them as well as to the human sequence, amplification and direct sequencing of this gene can be used to identify the human or animal origin of biological specimens. The single polymorphic site detected in the human P1 gene could be useful with other markers in identification studies for humans. 2 figures and 44 references