STR loci analysis of buccal cavity cells captured by laser microdissection

Abstract

We intended to analyze short tandem repeat (STR) loci in low copy-number DNA from buccal cavity cells. The cell smears were stained with Harris' hematoxylin and eosin for the STR analysis. Individual cells were captured by laser microdissection using a PALM Microlaser System. After the whole genome was amplified using the improved primer extension pre-amplification PCR (I-PEP-PCR) method, 15 loci, D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1339, D19S433, vWA, TPOX, D18S51, D5S818, and FGA, as well as the Amelogenin locus were amplified using the AmpFlSTR Identifiler PCR amplification kit. We resolved the 15 STR loci and the Amelogenin locus from 20 buccal cavity cells, 13 STR loci and the Amelogenin locus from 10 buccal cavity cells, nine STR loci and the Amelogenin locus from five buccal cavity cells, and five STR loci and the Amelogenin locus from two buccal cavity cells. This is a feasible method for analyzing STR loci and the Amelogenin locus of low copy-number DNA.