A genetic electrophoretic variant of high-sulfur hair proteins for forensic hair comparisons. II. Practical application of electrophoretic analysis of hair protein to forensic hair comparisons.

The influence of weathering and cosmetic treatment on the analysis of human hair-carboxymethylated protein has been studied by a 15% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Usual cosmetic treatment, i.e., permanent waving, dyeing, and bleaching, and weathering, i.e., hair samples that had been buried for up to 2 years, did not evidence any significant change in their electrophoretic patterns, though weathering for 2.5 years or longer made it difficult to determine the electrophoretic patterns. Capillary gel disc electrophoresis of a single, 5 cm, hair strand, which previously had been subjected to ABO blood group determination by an absorption-elution test, was sufficient to provide a multiple protein pattern analysis. Successful use of this analysis in a forensic case is described.