Abstract
The fact that telomere shortening occurs with aging leads to the hypothesis that a correlation could be made between Telomere Length (TL) and suspect age. This study aimed to assess if TL can be used as an investigational tool to predict human age through developing a formula based on this correlation with accuracy suitable to be applied in forensic practice. A quantitative real-time PCR study was carried out on 80 Egyptians, ranging in age from 1-79 years. The results confirmed that the relative TL significantly shortened with aging; “r” = -0.903 (p<0.001). The human age could be determined by the following formula: (Y = 66.9-28X), (Y: Age in years; X: Relative TL), with a regression analysis between relative TL and age had an R2 = 0.815. The standard error of age estimate was ±10.14 years. The present study concluded that estimation of human age based on the relative TL measured by quantitative real-time PCR may be a useful method for age prediction, especially when there is no morphologic information in the biological samples, but the estimated standard error of age prediction in this study was quite high (±10 years) to be used with certainty in forensic investigations. Inter-individual variations in TL and variability among the gender must be also considered when applying this method. So, this method could only give a rough estimation of age and it may be a complementary method for age estimation from soft tissues.
Highlights
IntroductionIn forensic practice, scientists compare unique genetic DNA profiles of individuals extracted from biological evidences found at crime scene with the DNA profile of suspects or with all profiles in a state or national databank (Kelly et al, 2013).When there is no suspect to compare with, the scientist cannot help the investigators regarding what physical characteristics to look for in a suspect by using DNA profile, other than gender (Ballantyne, 2007).It would be useful for the scientists to predict the outward appearance of an individual such as age, height, ethnicity, hair and skin color, by analyzing the DNA left behind in a crime scene to narrow down the range of suspects (Hewakapuge et al, 2008).One important phenotypic characteristic is age of the suspect
In the present study the relative telomere lengths of 80 Egyptian individuals aged from 1-79 years were measured using a quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method
The present study found that estimation of human age based on the relative Telomere Length (TL) measured by the real-time quantitative PCR may be a useful method for age prediction, especially when there is no morphologic information in the biological sample
Summary
In forensic practice, scientists compare unique genetic DNA profiles of individuals extracted from biological evidences found at crime scene with the DNA profile of suspects or with all profiles in a state or national databank (Kelly et al, 2013).When there is no suspect to compare with, the scientist cannot help the investigators regarding what physical characteristics to look for in a suspect by using DNA profile, other than gender (Ballantyne, 2007).It would be useful for the scientists to predict the outward appearance of an individual such as age, height, ethnicity, hair and skin color, by analyzing the DNA left behind in a crime scene to narrow down the range of suspects (Hewakapuge et al, 2008).One important phenotypic characteristic is age of the suspect. When there is no suspect to compare with, the scientist cannot help the investigators regarding what physical characteristics to look for in a suspect by using DNA profile, other than gender (Ballantyne, 2007) It would be useful for the scientists to predict the outward appearance of an individual such as age, height, ethnicity, hair and skin color, by analyzing the DNA left behind in a crime scene to narrow down the range of suspects (Hewakapuge et al, 2008). A sample of biological evidence (e.g., a bloodstain) usually carries no morphological information In this case, age estimation method on a molecular basis would be very useful (Karlsson et al, 2008)
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