Evaluation of Commercial Kits for Dual Extraction of DNA and RNA from Human Body Fluids
- Resource Type
- Authors
- James M. Robertson; Andrew J. Schweighardt; Kathryn A. Harper; Courtney M. Tate; Kristina A. Scott
- Source
- Journal of Forensic Sciences. 60:157-165
- Subject
- Genetic Markers
Saliva
Messenger RNA
Extraction (chemistry)
RNA
DNA
Biology
DNA Fingerprinting
Stain
Molecular biology
Specimen Handling
Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Str profiling
chemistry.chemical_compound
chemistry
Genetics
Humans
RNA, Messenger
RNA extraction
Microsatellite Repeats
- Language
- ISSN
- 0022-1198
STR typing of DNA evidence can identify the donor with a high power of discrimination but cannot identify the tissue origin of a body-fluid stain. Using RNA to attribute a crime scene stain to a particular tissue may aid in reconstruction efforts. With blood from 10 donors, four DNA and RNA coextraction kits were evaluated by measuring yields and STR and mRNA profiles. T tests indicated some significant differences in kit performance. The Zymo Research ZR-Duet(™) kit performed best based on average DNA (41.4 ng) and mRNA (4.07 ng) yields and was the only kit to provide complete DNA/RNA profiles for all samples. The consistency of this kit was challenged by data from additional blood and saliva donors. Further testing is advised before a superior kit is unequivocally chosen. Stand-alone DNA or RNA purification generally offers higher yield, but coextraction may still allow successful STR profiling and tissue source identification.