Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Persisting fetal microchimerism does not interfere with forensic Y-chromosome typing.

M Klintschar1, P Schwaiger, S Regauer

  • 1Institute of Legal Medicine, University Halle-Wittenberg, Franzosenweg 1, Halle D-06112, Germany. michael.klintschar@medizin.uni-halle.de

Forensic Science International
|March 26, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Forensic Y-chromosome typing can be impacted by persisting fetal microchimerism. High-sensitivity PCR assays may yield false positives from fetal cells in maternal samples, but routine forensic methods avoid this risk.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Corrigendum to "Two target cells for HPV infection at the cervix?" [Virus Res. 2026 , 369, 199754].

Virus research·2026
Same author

EuroGuiderm guideline on lichen sclerosus-introduction into lichen sclerosus.

Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·2024
Same author

EuroGuiderm guideline on lichen sclerosus-Treatment of lichen sclerosus.

Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·2024
Same author

Insight into the aroma quality of 'Callista' cultivar of hop (Humulus lupulus L.): Impact of harvest timing, year, and location.

Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)·2023
Same author

[Case report: death of a 2-year-old girl with postmortem diagnosis of a rare coronary artery vasculitis typical for Kawasaki syndrome].

Rechtsmedizin (Berlin, Germany)·2021
Same author

Gene variants associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in relation to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

International journal of legal medicine·2021

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Science
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Forensic Y-chromosome typing analyzes Y-chromosomal polymorphisms in male/female mixed stains, offering high sensitivity for identifying male DNA in cases like rape.
  • A potential confounding factor is persisting fetal microchimerism, where male fetal cells can remain in a mother's body for decades after pregnancy.
  • The presence of these Y-chromosome-bearing fetal cells in maternal samples, particularly vaginal secretions, could lead to false positive results in forensic analyses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether fetal cells with Y-chromosomes can be present in vaginal secretions.
  • To determine if these fetal cells can cause false positive results in forensic Y-chromosome typing.
  • To evaluate the impact of PCR sensitivity and DNA template quantity on detecting Y-chromosomes from fetal microchimerism.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Methods:

  • Blood samples from 66 women with sons and 9 vaginal swabs from women without recent sexual activity were analyzed.
  • Samples were subjected to PCR amplification of the SRY gene using two protocols: a routine sensitivity assay (10 ng DNA, 30 cycles) and a high-sensitivity assay (200 ng DNA, 45 cycles).
  • Positive controls included thyroid tissues with known male fetal microchimerism, and negative controls were blood samples from young girls.

Main Results:

  • The routine sensitivity assay (10 ng DNA, 30 cycles) did not yield any positive results for Y-chromosome amplification in the tested samples.
  • The high-sensitivity assay (200 ng DNA, 45 cycles) detected SRY amplification in 14% of maternal blood samples and 33% of vaginal swabs.
  • These findings indicate that increased PCR sensitivity and DNA input can lead to the detection of Y-chromosomes from fetal cells.

Conclusions:

  • Forensic Y-chromosome typing protocols using standard sensitivity (low DNA input, limited PCR cycles) are robust against false positives from persisting fetal microchimerism.
  • Highly sensitive PCR methods, when applied to maternal samples, may detect Y-chromosomes from fetal cells, potentially leading to misinterpretations.
  • The study confirms that current routine forensic Y-chromosome typing methods effectively mitigate the risk of false positives due to fetal microchimerism.