Ambers Angie, Gill-King Harrell, Dirkmaat Dennis, Benjamin Robert, King Jonathan, Budowle Bruce
Institute of Applied Genetics, Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, 1511 West Sycamore, Denton, TX, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, 1511 West Sycamore, Denton, TX, USA; Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Center for Human Identification, University of North Texas, Department of Biological Sciences, 1511 West Sycamore, Denton, TX, USA.
Forensic Sci Int Genet. 2014 Mar;9:33-41. doi: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2013.10.014. Epub 2013 Nov 8.
The 120-year-old skeletal remains of Confederate Civil War soldier Captain Ezekiel "Zeke" Harper were exhumed by court order in January 2011 for DNA analysis. The goal of the DNA testing was to support or refute whether Captain Harper had fathered a son (Earl J. Maxwell) with his Native American maid prior to his murder in 1892. Bones with adequate structural integrity (left tibia, right tibia, right femur, mandible, four teeth) were retrieved from the burial site and sent to the Institute of Applied Genetics in Fort Worth, Texas for analysis. Given the age and condition of the remains, three different extraction methods were used to maximize the probability of DNA recovery. The majority of the DNA isolates from over fifty separate bone sections yielded partial autosomal STR genotypes and partial Y-STR haplotypes. After comparing the partial results for concordance, consensus profiles were generated for comparison to reference samples from alleged family members. Considering the genetic recombination that occurs in autosomal DNA over the generations within a family, Y-STR analysis was determined to be the most appropriate and informative approach for determining potential kinship. Two of Earl J. Maxwell's grandsons submitted buccal samples for comparison. The Y-STR haplotypes obtained from both of these reference samples were identical to each other and to the alleles in Ezekiel Harper's consensus profile at all 17 loci examined. This Y-STR haplotype was not found in either of two major Y-STR population databases (U.S. Y-STR database and YHRD). The fact that the Y-STR haplotype obtained from Ezekiel's skeletal remains and Earl's grandsons is not found in either population database demonstrates its rarity and further supports a paternal lineage relationship among them. Results of the genetic analyses are consistent with the hypothesis that Earl J. Maxwell is the son of Ezekiel Harper.
2011年1月，根据法庭命令，挖掘出了美国内战时期联邦军队士兵伊齐基尔·“齐克”·哈珀上尉120年前的遗骨，用于DNA分析。DNA检测的目的是证实或反驳哈珀上尉在1892年被谋杀之前是否与他的美洲原住民女仆育有一子（厄尔·J·麦克斯韦）。从墓地中取出了具有足够结构完整性的骨骼（左胫骨、右胫骨、右股骨、下颌骨、四颗牙齿），并送往德克萨斯州沃思堡的应用遗传学研究所进行分析。鉴于遗骨的年代和状况，使用了三种不同的提取方法，以最大限度地提高DNA提取的成功率。从五十多个不同的骨切片中分离出的大部分DNA产生了部分常染色体STR基因型和部分Y-STR单倍型。在比较部分结果的一致性后，生成了共识图谱，以便与所谓家庭成员的参考样本进行比较。考虑到一个家族中几代人常染色体DNA发生的基因重组，Y-STR分析被确定为确定潜在亲属关系的最合适和最具信息量的方法。厄尔·J·麦克斯韦的两个孙子提交了颊拭子样本用于比较。从这两个参考样本中获得的Y-STR单倍型在所有检测的17个位点上彼此相同，并且与伊齐基尔·哈珀共识图谱中的等位基因相同。在两个主要的Y-STR人群数据库（美国Y-STR数据库和YHRD）中均未发现这种Y-STR单倍型。从伊齐基尔的骨骼遗骸和厄尔的孙子那里获得的Y-STR单倍型在两个人群数据库中均未出现，这一事实证明了其稀有性，并进一步支持了他们之间的父系血统关系。基因分析结果与厄尔·J·麦克斯韦是伊齐基尔·哈珀之子的假设一致。
