NCJ Number
173600
Journal
Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal Volume: 31 Issue: 1 Dated: March 1998 Pages: 45-53
Date Published
1998
Length
9 pages
Annotation
A new tool in the forensic scientist's arsenal of DNA technologies is mitochondrial DNA analysis.
Abstract
Once specialized as part of the academic pursuit of molecular anthropology and those deciphering human evolution, the analysis of mitochondrial DNA from crime scene exhibits is becoming more common. Mitochondrial DNA has become the last avenue of analysis on badly degraded and environmentally challenged samples or for minute quantities of biological evidence. Due to the abundance of mitochondria in tissues, samples lacking nuclear DNA such as hair shafts may contain sufficient mitochondrial DNA for forensic identification. The comparison of mitochondrial DNA sequences can often provide the association between biological samples but the special characteristics of maternal inheritance and high mutation rates must be carefully considered in the interpretation of casework. This paper is intended as a brief introduction to mitochondrial DNA analysis and has been written to aid the police investigator, the legal community, or those new to this technology. 1 table and 11 references