Identification of urine specimen donors by the PM+DQA1 amplification and typing kit

We evaluated the ability to genotype DNA extracted from urine samples, which were previously submitted for toxicological analysis, by either the AmpliType HLA DQ alpha or the combined PM+DQA1 amplification and typing systems. Initial experiments were conducted on fresh urine, which was either processed fresh or frozen for one week at -20 degrees C, from male and female volunteers. Although male urine is noted for containing minimal numbers of nucleated cells when compared with female urine, we were able to type these samples without difficulty. Male urine specimens that were stored frozen for one year in the Toxicology Laboratory provided sources of low concentration, poor quality genomic DNA with respect to degradation of nucleic acid. These samples, however, were also easily typed using the amplification typing kits. Our data, therefore, suggest that the PM+DQA1 amplification and typing systems described here are suitable for typing analysis of donor urine specimens.