RESEARCH PROFILE: Sorting out mtDNA with MS

摘要

DNA evidence can make or break a case, potentially placing a suspect at the scene of a crime, exonerating an innocent person, or identifying the remains of a victim. Sometimes, investigators must use mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) because nuclear DNA is not available. Analysis of mtDNA can be a challenge because some samples contain multiple types of mtDNA, which can't be resolved using standard sequencing methods. Now, a study in AC (2009, DOI 10.1021/ac901222y) describes an automated method that uses MS to unravel these mtDNA mixtures. People perform mtDNA analysis when the sample is highly degraded or present in very small amounts, says Steven Hofstadler from Ibis Biosciences, Inc. Hofstadler coauthored the paper with colleagues at Ibis Biosciences, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory, and the University of North Texas Health Science Center. "The problem with that is that mitochondrial DNA can be highly variable, even within one cell.... When you sequence through that, you can get a real mess."