ISSN: 2573-1734
Authors: G Brescia*, V Cortellini, H Simoes Dutra Correa and A Verzeletti
One of the common applications of forensic genetics involves paternity testing. In this case, the difficulty in carrying out the test was given by the difficulty in obtaining the DNA of the alleged father because his body was buried for 46 years. Visibly wellpreserved soft tissue samples had to be collected for DNA extraction. For the same purpose, samples of teeth and bones such as the femur and rib, which are the most resistant tissues in human remains, were also taken. In a first step, DNA extraction was performed on soft tissue samples using the commercial QIAamp® DNA Investigator kit following the dedicated protocol. Despite the good preservation of the soft tissues, the analyzes did not produce significant results for the determination of the biological profile. It was necessary to proceed with the extraction of DNA from bones and teeth. Samples were pulverized as required by the QIAamp® DNA Investigator kit and by completing the extraction following the specific protocol for bones and teeth. However, DNA extraction using a validated protocol yielded no results. Therefore, we used a different strategy for DNA extraction which involves a demineralization step before lysis, without prior pulverization. This pretreatment was followed by DNA extraction using the same commercial kit. Thanks to this protocol, the comparison between the DNA of the alleged father and the genetic profile of the son, to determine a paternity relationship was possible. Autosomal DNA and Y STR profiling was performed using three commercial kits.
Keywords: DNA; EDTA; Paternity Test
