Histone Modifications as Individual-Specific Epigenetic Regulators: Opportunities for Forensic Genetics and...

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Epigenetics
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) are emerging epigenetic biomarkers.
• PTMs offer biological information beyond conventional genetic markers like short tandem repeats (STRs).
• Histone modifications are detectable in degraded samples and capture individual-specific regulatory states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in histone PTMs for forensic applications.
• Focus on degraded evidence analysis, monozygotic twin differentiation, and postmortem interval (PMI) estimation.
• Highlight the stability and diagnostic potential of specific histone marks.

Main Methods:

• Summarized experimental findings from human cadavers, animal models, and forensic samples (bone, blood, muscle).
• Examined stability and diagnostic potential of histone marks like H3K4me3, H3K27me3, and γ-H2AX.
• Reviewed emerging technologies such as CUT&Tag, MALDI imaging, and nanopore sequencing for histone profiling.

Main Results:

• Histone modifications demonstrate stability and diagnostic potential in various forensic contexts.
• Emerging technologies enable high-resolution profiling with low input requirements.
• Findings support the feasibility of histone biomarkers for forensic identification and temporal analysis.

Conclusions:

• Histone PTMs show promise as complementary forensic tools for identification and temporal analysis.
• Methodological standardization, inter-laboratory validation, and workflow integration are crucial for future development.
• Further research is needed to validate the reliability of histone modifications in real-world casework.