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

Postmortem stability of DNA.

W Bär1, A Kratzer, M Mächler

  • 1Institute of Forensic Medicine, Zürich, Switzerland.

Forensic Science International
|October 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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

Retrospective genome-oriented analysis reveals low transmission rate of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa from contaminated toilets at a bone marrow transplant unit.

The Journal of hospital infection·2024
Same author

Ultrasound-guided caudal blockade and sedation for paediatric surgery: a retrospective cohort study.

Anaesthesia·2022
Same author

Plasma and soft tissue pharmacokinetics of ceftolozane/tazobactam in healthy volunteers after single and multiple intravenous infusion: a microdialysis study.

The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy·2021
Same author

Association between night-time surgery and occurrence of intraoperative adverse events and postoperative pulmonary complications.

British journal of anaesthesia·2019
Same author

Tigecycline in critically ill patients on continuous renal replacement therapy: a population pharmacokinetic study.

Critical care (London, England)·2018
Same author

Intraoperative ventilation settings and their associations with postoperative pulmonary complications in obese patients.

British journal of anaesthesia·2018

High-molecular-weight DNA is recoverable from human tissues postmortem, with stability varying by organ and time. Environmental factors and disease accelerate DNA degradation, impacting forensic analysis.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Science
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Postmortem DNA recovery is crucial for forensic investigations.
  • Understanding DNA degradation patterns is essential for interpreting evidence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the yield and stability of high-molecular-weight DNA from various human tissues postmortem.
  • To identify factors influencing DNA degradation rates.

Main Methods:

  • DNA was extracted from multiple human organ tissues and blood samples collected at different postmortem intervals.
  • DNA integrity was evaluated, and DNA fingerprinting was performed using a minisatellite probe (33.15).

Main Results:

  • Sufficient high-molecular-weight DNA was recovered from brain cortex, lymph nodes, and psoas muscle for up to three weeks.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Spleen and kidney showed good DNA stability for five days, followed by rapid degradation.
  • Blood DNA yields were inconsistent, but blood clots were DNA-rich.
  • DNA degradation correlated with postmortem interval, but rapid autolysis was observed in cases with high environmental temperatures or infectious diseases.
  • Loss of long DNA fragments (15-23 kb) was noted in DNA fingerprinting, reducing evidentiary value in older samples.

    • Conclusions:

    • Human organ tissues, particularly brain cortex, lymph nodes, and psoas muscle, can yield high-quality DNA for extended postmortem periods.
    • Environmental temperature and pre-existing infectious diseases significantly accelerate postmortem DNA degradation.
    • While DNA fingerprinting remains reliable, the evidentiary value of older samples is diminished due to DNA fragmentation.