Linch C A, Whiting D A, Holland M M
Division of Forensic Science, Richmond, VA 23218, USA.
J Forensic Sci. 2001 Jul;46(4):844-53.
Analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence from human hairs has proven to be a valuable complement to traditional hair comparison microscopy in forensic cases when nuclear DNA typing is not possible. However, while much is known about the specialties of hair biology and mtDNA sequence analysis, there has been little correlation of individual information. Hair microscopy and hair embryogenesis are subjects that are sometimes unfamiliar to the forensic DNA scientist. The continual growth and replacement of human hairs involves complex cellular transformation and regeneration events. In turn, the analysis of mtDNA sequence data can involve complex questions of interpretation (e.g., heteroplasmy and the sequence variation it may cause within an individual, or between related individuals. In this paper we review the details of hair developmental histology, including the migration of mitochondria in the growing hair, and the related interpretation issues regarding the analysis of mtDNA data in hair. Macroscopic and microscopic hair specimen classifications are provided as a possible guide to help forensic scientists better associate mtDNA sequence heteroplasmy data with the physical characteristics of a hair. These same hair specimen classifications may also be useful when evaluating the relative success in sequencing different types and/or forms of human hairs. The ultimate goal of this review is to bring the hair microscopist and forensic DNA scientist closer together, as the use of mtDNA sequence analysis continues to expand.
在法医学案件中，当无法进行核DNA分型时，对人类毛发线粒体DNA（mtDNA）序列的分析已被证明是传统毛发比较显微镜检查的一项重要补充。然而，尽管人们对毛发生物学特性和mtDNA序列分析了解颇多，但个体信息之间的关联却很少。毛发显微镜检查和毛发胚胎发育对于法医DNA科学家来说有时是陌生的领域。人类毛发的持续生长和更替涉及复杂的细胞转化和再生过程。反过来，mtDNA序列数据的分析可能涉及复杂的解释问题（例如，异质性及其可能在个体内部或相关个体之间引起的序列变异）。在本文中，我们回顾了毛发发育组织学的细节，包括线粒体在生长毛发中的迁移，以及与毛发中mtDNA数据分析相关的解释问题。提供了宏观和微观毛发样本分类，作为可能的指南，以帮助法医科学家更好地将mtDNA序列异质性数据与毛发的物理特征联系起来。在评估对不同类型和/或形态的人类毛发进行测序的相对成功率时，这些相同的毛发样本分类可能也很有用。随着mtDNA序列分析的应用不断扩大，本综述的最终目标是拉近毛发显微镜学家和法医DNA科学家之间的距离。
