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Mitochondrial DNA Sequencing of Cat Hair: An Informative Forensic Tool

NCJ Number
233493
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 56 Issue: S1 Dated: January 2011 Pages: S36-S46
Date Published
January 2011
Length
11 pages
Annotation

To improve cat hairs as forensic evidence, the mtDNA control region from single hairs, with and without root tags, was sequenced.

Abstract

Approximately 81.7 million cats are in 37.5 million U.S. households. Shed fur can be criminal evidence because of transfer to victims, suspects, and/or their belongings. A dataset of a 402-bp control region segment from 174 random-bred cats representing four U.S. geographic areas was generated to determine the informativeness of the mtDNA region. Thirty-two mtDNA mitotypes were observed ranging in frequencies from 0.6-27 percent. Four common types occurred in all populations. Low heteroplasmy, 1.7 percent, was determined. Unique mitotypes were found in 18 individuals, 10.3 percent of the population studied. The calculated discrimination power implied that 8.3 of 10 randomly selected individuals can be excluded by this region. The genetic characteristics of the region and the generated dataset support the use of this cat mtDNA region in forensic applications. (Published Abstract)

Date Published: January 1, 2011