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

DNA fingerprinting from tissues after variable postmortem periods

B Ludes1, H Pfitzinger, P Mangin

  • 1Institut de Médecine Légale, Strasbourg, France.

Journal of Forensic Sciences
|May 1, 1993
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

European Council of Legal Medicine (ECLM) on-site inspection forms for forensic pathology, anthropology, odontology, genetics, entomology and toxicology for forensic and medico-legal scene and corpse investigation: the Parma form.

International journal of legal medicine·2022
Same author

Death of an apprentice bodybuilder following 2,4-dinitrophenol and clenbuterol intake.

International journal of legal medicine·2020
Same author

Skull fractures in forensic putrefied/skeletonised cases: The challenge of estimating the post-traumatic interval.

Morphologie : bulletin de l'Association des anatomistes·2020
Same author

Functional properties of human platelets derived in vitro from CD34<sup>+</sup> cells.

Scientific reports·2020
Same author

Comparison between postmortem computed tomography and autopsy in the detection of traumatic head injuries.

Journal of neuroradiology = Journal de neuroradiologie·2019
Same author

European council of legal medicine (ECLM) guidelines for the examination of suspected elder abuse.

International journal of legal medicine·2018
Same journal

GenoEye: A machine learning-based framework for the prediction of intermediate eye color phenotypes.

Journal of forensic sciences·2026
Same journal

Sharp force trauma analysis without animal bones: A proposal for sustainable and ethical bone proxies.

Journal of forensic sciences·2026
Same journal

Absolute dating of modern paper using <sup>14</sup>C bomb peak data of the paper fibers.

Journal of forensic sciences·2026
Same journal

Forensic timeline investigation of Apple Health app on iOS.

Journal of forensic sciences·2026
Same journal

Help v. harm: How a "lookup table" for evaluating DNA evidence given activity-level propositions could lead to wrongful convictions.

Journal of forensic sciences·2026
Same journal

Correction to "Development and Evaluation of an Iodoplatinate-Based Strip-Type Kit for On-Site Drug Screening in Beverages".

Journal of forensic sciences·2026
See all related articles

High molecular weight DNA (HMWDNA) extraction from brain cortex is crucial for forensic DNA fingerprinting, even after long postmortem intervals. Other tissues like blood and kidney degrade rapidly, making them unsuitable for reliable identification.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Science
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • DNA typing is essential for identifying human remains in forensic investigations.
  • Successful DNA fingerprinting relies on extracting high molecular weight DNA (HMWDNA).
  • Postmortem degradation significantly impacts DNA quality and suitability for analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of DNA extraction from various human tissues for forensic identification.
  • To determine the optimal tissue source for HMWDNA recovery irrespective of postmortem interval.

Main Methods:

  • Forensic autopsies were conducted on 24 bodies with known postmortem ages.
  • DNA was extracted from multiple tissue types, including blood, kidney, and brain cortex.
  • Extracted DNA was assessed for quality (HMWDNA) and suitability for DNA fingerprinting.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Blood and kidney tissues showed rapid DNA degradation within one week postmortem, rendering them unsuitable.
  • High molecular weight DNA (HMWDNA) was successfully extracted from brain cortex samples.
  • Brain cortex yielded HMWDNA consistently, regardless of the postmortem delay.

Conclusions:

  • Brain cortex is the most reliable tissue for forensic DNA typing when significant postmortem intervals are involved.
  • Standard tissues like blood and kidney are not recommended for DNA fingerprinting after one week postmortem.
  • This finding enhances the capabilities of forensic science in identifying remains with extended postmortem periods.