{"title":"RNA Analysis in Forensic Molecular Biology.","authors":"Cornelius Courts, Annica Gosch, Markus Rothschild","doi":"10.3238/arztebl.m2024.0051","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Different types of RNA take on multiple crucial functions in living cells and tissues. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a temporary molecular carrier of genetic information. Analysis of the composition of all mRNA contained in a cell at a given moment, the so-called transcriptome, enables the determination of the type of cell and its condition, e.g., in pathologically altered states.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This review is based on pertinent publications retrieved by a selective literature search.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analysis of differential gene expression has already been used in forensic molecular biology to determine the type of tissue contained in biological specimens. It is also being used in criminal investigations to determine the composition of mixed traces of various bodily fluids and/or organ tissues. The method is limited by degradation of the mRNA molecules through environmental influences. The use of newly developed molecular biological methods such as massive parallel sequencing can expand the information obtainable by this investigative method. Current research also addresses the forensic potential of deriving relevant information about the crime-e.g., its timing, or the condition of the involved persons-from the totality of mRNA species present in the specimens.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Forensic RNA analysis can yield a great deal of relevant information. It is likely to be applicable in a much wider variety of forensic situations in the near future.</p>","PeriodicalId":11258,"journal":{"name":"Deutsches Arzteblatt international","volume":" Forthcoming","pages":"363-369"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11539881/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Deutsches Arzteblatt international","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.m2024.0051","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Different types of RNA take on multiple crucial functions in living cells and tissues. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a temporary molecular carrier of genetic information. Analysis of the composition of all mRNA contained in a cell at a given moment, the so-called transcriptome, enables the determination of the type of cell and its condition, e.g., in pathologically altered states.
Methods: This review is based on pertinent publications retrieved by a selective literature search.
Results: The analysis of differential gene expression has already been used in forensic molecular biology to determine the type of tissue contained in biological specimens. It is also being used in criminal investigations to determine the composition of mixed traces of various bodily fluids and/or organ tissues. The method is limited by degradation of the mRNA molecules through environmental influences. The use of newly developed molecular biological methods such as massive parallel sequencing can expand the information obtainable by this investigative method. Current research also addresses the forensic potential of deriving relevant information about the crime-e.g., its timing, or the condition of the involved persons-from the totality of mRNA species present in the specimens.
Conclusion: Forensic RNA analysis can yield a great deal of relevant information. It is likely to be applicable in a much wider variety of forensic situations in the near future.
期刊介绍:
Deutsches Ärzteblatt International is a bilingual (German and English) weekly online journal that focuses on clinical medicine and public health. It serves as the official publication for both the German Medical Association and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. The journal is dedicated to publishing independent, peer-reviewed articles that cover a wide range of clinical medicine disciplines. It also features editorials and a dedicated section for scientific discussion, known as correspondence.
The journal aims to provide valuable medical information to its international readership and offers insights into the German medical landscape. Since its launch in January 2008, Deutsches Ärzteblatt International has been recognized and included in several prestigious databases, which helps to ensure its content is accessible and credible to the global medical community. These databases include:
Carelit
CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
Compendex
DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)
EMBASE (Excerpta Medica database)
EMNursing
GEOBASE (Geoscience & Environmental Data)
HINARI (Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative)
Index Copernicus
Medline (MEDLARS Online)
Medpilot
PsycINFO (Psychological Information Database)
Science Citation Index Expanded
Scopus
By being indexed in these databases, Deutsches Ärzteblatt International's articles are made available to researchers, clinicians, and healthcare professionals worldwide, contributing to the global exchange of medical knowledge and research.