Department of Forensic and Analytical Science, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London, UK.
Forensic Sci Int Genet. 2013 Sep;7(5):499-507. doi: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2013.05.004. Epub 2013 Jun 28.
Investigating the DNA sequence is the most powerful tool that can be employed in forensic genetics for the identification of an individual, or to determine specific ethnic and phenotypic characteristics. However, there are also other heritable changes in gene function or cellular phenotype which are caused by mechanisms other than differences in the DNA sequence itself. Over the last decade it has become evident that epigenetic markers can be of substantial forensic significance. The determination of possible alterations in DNA methylation patterns could aid various forensic investigations, such as differentiating monozygotic twins, identifying the tissue source or determining the age of tissue donors. This review aims to give a brief overview of the possible advantages of forensic DNA methylation profiling and sheds light on the limitations of this approach.
研究 DNA 序列是法医学中用于个体识别或确定特定种族和表型特征的最有力工具。然而，基因功能或细胞表型的其他遗传性变化也可能是由 DNA 序列本身以外的机制引起的。在过去的十年中，已经明显表明，表观遗传标记可能具有重要的法医学意义。确定 DNA 甲基化模式的可能改变可以帮助各种法医学调查，例如区分同卵双胞胎、鉴定组织来源或确定组织供体的年龄。本综述旨在简要概述法医 DNA 甲基化分析的可能优势，并阐明该方法的局限性。
