Molecular Forensics	1
	Contents	7
	Preface	11
	List of Contributors	13
	1: Current and future trends in forensic molecular biology	17
	1.1 Introduction	17
	1.2 Developments within the field of forensic molecular biology	18
	1.3 Developments influencing law enforcement – operational impacts	23
	1.4 Developments influencing the justice system – socio-legal impacts	26
	1.5 Summary	27
	1.6 References	28
	2: Basic tools and techniques in molecular biology	37
	2.1 Introduction	37
	2.2 Isolation and separation of nucleic acids	37
	2.3 Automated analysis of nucleic acid fragments	39
	2.4 Molecular biology and bioinformatics	40
	2.5 The polymerase chain reaction (PCR)	41
	2.6 Applications of the PCR	44
	2.7 Nucleotide sequencing of DNA	46
	2.8 Conclusion	50
	2.9 References	50
	3: Automated DNA extraction techniques for forensic analysis	53
	3.1 Introduction	53
	3.2 Principal steps of DNA extraction	54
	3.3 DNA extraction techniques	55
	3.4 Modified techniques for DNA extraction from challenging forensic samples	59
	3.5 Automation of DNA extraction	61
	3.6 References	72
	4: Real-time quantitative PCR in forensic science	75
	4.1 Introduction	75
	4.2 Current real-time PCR chemistries	76
	4.3 Human nuclear DNA quantification	77
	4.4 Human mitochondrial DNA quantification	81
	4.5 Detection and quantification of non-human species	82
	4.6 Concluding remarks and perspectives	83
	4.7 References	83
	5: Minisatellite and microsatellite DNA typing analysis	87
	5.1 Introduction	87
	5.2 Minisatellites	87
	5.3 Microsatellites	96
	5.4 Acknowledgements	102
	5.5 References	102
	6: Application of SNPs in forensic casework	107
	6.1 Introduction	107
	6.2 Single nucleotide polymorphisms	108
	6.3 Single nucleotide polymorphism typing technology	110
	6.4 Single nucleotide polymorphisms for human identification	111
	6.5 Single nucleotide polymorphisms in mitochondrial DNA	114
	6.6 Forensic DNA phenotyping	114
	6.7 Ethical considerations of SNP genotyping	116
	6.8 References	116
	7: The X chromosome in forensic science: past, present and future	119
	7.1 Introduction	119
	7.2 History of forensic utilization of the X chromosome	120
	7.3 Chromosome X short tandem repeats	123
	7.4 Power of ChrX markers in trace analysis	127
	7.5 Power of ChrX markers in kinship testing	127
	7.6 Chromosome X marker mapping and haplotype analysis	130
	7.7 Chromosome X–chromosome Y homologue markers	135
	7.8 Chromosome X STR allele and haplotype distribution in different populations	135
	7.9 Ethical considerations in ChrX marker testing	136
	7.10 Concluding remarks	137
	7.11 References	137
	8: Mitochondrial analysis in forensic science	143
	8.1 Introduction	143
	8.2 Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) biology	144
	8.3 Identification of individuals (mtDNA typing)	148
	8.4 Topics of forensic interest	150
	8.5 References	154
	9: Y-Chromosomal markers in forensic genetics	157
	9.1 Introduction	157
	9.2 Identification of the male sex	158
	9.3 Identification of male lineages	159
	9.4 Identification of a male’s paternity	164
	9.5 Identification of a male’s geographical origin	167
	9.6 The future of Y-chromosomal markers in forensics	171
	9.7 Acknowledgements	172
	9.8 References	173
	10: Laser microdissection in forensic analysis	179
	10.1 Introduction	179
	10.2 Histological, biochemical analysis	182
	10.3 References	185
	11: Laboratory information systems for forensic analysis of DNA evidence	187
	11.1 Introduction	187
	11.2 The specifications of forensic genotyping assays	189
	11.3 Automated pipetting	190
	11.4 Analysis of STR data	192
	11.5 Bioinformatics	194
	11.6 Conclusion	196
	11.7 References	197
	12: Statistical presentation of forensic data	201
	12.1 Introduction	201
	12.2 Techniques	201
	12.3 Laboratory issues	204
	12.4 Statistical analysis	205
	12.5 Other issues	209
	12.6 Special situations	210
	12.7 References	211
	13: Protein profiling for forensic and biometric applications	213
	13.1 Introduction	213
	13.2 Protein assays in molecular forensics: current status	213
	13.3 Novel technologies and the remaining challenges	220
	13.4 Protein markers for use in forensic and biometric applications	224
	13.5 References	233
	14: Application of MRS in forensic pathology	237
	14.1 Forensic, criminalistic and ethical significance of time of death	237
	14.2 Classical methods for the determination of PMI	238
	14.3 Magnetic resonance spectroscopy	240
	14.4 How to predict the PMI based on MRS measurements	245
	14.5 Outlook	248
	14.6 References	251
	Index	257
	Colour plates	261