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Laser-capture Microdissection of Human Prostatic Epithelium for RNA Analysis
Published on: November 26, 2015
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A transcriptome-wise Atlas of human prostate as a function of postmortem interval time.
Gulnaz T Javan1, Joshua Bethea2, Giovanni Cecchetto3
1Department of Physical and Forensic Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, USA. gjavan@alasu.edu.
Scientific Reports
|November 29, 2025
Summary
Postmortem gene expression and splicing in prostate tissue remain active for days after death. This molecular activity provides new insights for determining the postmortem interval (PMI) in forensic investigations.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Science
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- The prostate gland exhibits prolonged preservation during decomposition.
- The impact of postmortem interval (PMI) on gene expression and splicing in prostate tissue is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate postmortem gene induction and pathway activation in prostate tissues along a PMI gradient.
- To identify molecular markers for estimating PMI.
Main Methods:
- Total RNA sequencing of prostate tissue samples.
- Differential expression analysis of mRNAs and lncRNAs using DESeq2.
- Alternative splicing event detection using rMATS.
- Pathway and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA).
Main Results:
- Enrichment of FoxO signaling, aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption, and adipocytokine signaling pathways in high PMI samples.
- Upregulation of genes involved in protein export, proteasome, ferroptosis, and citric acid cycle in high PMI tissues.
- Skipped exon events were the most prominent alternative splicing events in high PMI samples.
Conclusions:
- The transcription machinery remains active in postmortem prostate tissue for at least five days.
- These molecular findings offer valuable data for improving postmortem interval estimation in forensic pathology.
