Rapid screening of multiple forensic stains by SSCP analysis of HLA-DQ alpha amplification products

Single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis was performed with HLA-DQ alpha amplification products. The various HLA-DQ alpha genotypes reveal different SSCP patterns. These are reproducible in DNA preparations from unrelated persons with identical HLA-DQ alpha genotype. However, in one of the more frequent HLA-DQ alpha genotypes (1.1/4) two variant SSCP patterns were observed. SSCP analysis allows rapid low-cost screening of many specimens and is an alternative discrimination test of stains beside reverse dot blot hybridization.