TY - JOUR
T1 - Fractionation of DNA and protein from individual latent fingerprints for forensic analysis
AU - Schulte, Kathleen Q.
AU - Hewitt, F. Curtis
AU - Manley, Tara E.
AU - Reed, Andrew J.
AU - Baniasad, Maryam
AU - Albright, Nicolette C.
AU - Powals, Megan E.
AU - LeSassier, Danielle S.
AU - Smith, Alan R.
AU - Zhang, Liwen
AU - Allen, Leah W.
AU - Ludolph, Benjamin C.
AU - Weber, Katharina L.
AU - Woerner, August E.
AU - Freitas, Michael A.
AU - Gardner, Myles W.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research is based upon work supported in part by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) (https://www.iarpa.gov), via contract number 2018-18041000003. The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of ODNI, IARPA, or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright annotation therein. The funders reviewed and approved the manuscript for publication but had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, or preparation of the manuscript. This research was supported in part by internal funding from Signature Science, LLC. Signature Science, LLC provided support in the form of salaries for authors KQS, MWG, ARS, NCA, DSL, KLW, TEM, LWA, MEP, BCL, and FCH but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.
Funding Information:
This research is based upon work supported in part by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) , Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) ( https://www.iarpa.gov ), via contract number 2018-18041000003. The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of ODNI, IARPA, or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright annotation therein. The funders reviewed and approved the manuscript for publication but had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, or preparation of the manuscript. This research was supported in part by internal funding from Signature Science, LLC. Signature Science, LLC provided support in the form of salaries for authors KQS, MWG, ARS, NCA, DSL, KLW, TEM, LWA, MEP, BCL, and FCH but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/1
Y1 - 2021/1
N2 - Human touch samples represent a significant portion of forensic DNA casework. Yet, the generally low abundance of genetic material combined with the predominantly extracellular nature of DNA in these samples makes DNA-based forensic analysis exceptionally challenging. Human proteins present in these same touch samples offer an abundant and environmentally-robust alternative. Proteogenomic methods, using protein sequence variants arising from nonsynonymous DNA mutations, have recently been applied to forensic analysis and may represent a viable option looking forward. However, DNA analysis remains the gold standard and any proteomics-based methods would need to consider how DNA could be co-extracted from samples without significant loss. Herein, we describe a simple workflow for the collection, enrichment and fractionation of DNA and protein in latent fingerprint samples. This approach ensures that DNA collected from a latent fingerprint can be analyzed by traditional DNA casework methods, while protein can be proteolytically digested and analyzed via standard liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based proteomics methods from the same touch sample. Sample collection from non-porous surfaces (i.e., glass) is performed through the application of an anionic surfactant over the fingermark. The sample is then split into separate DNA and protein fractions following centrifugation to enrich the protein fraction by pelleting skin cells. The results indicate that this workflow permits analysis of DNA within the sample, yet highlights the challenge posed by the trace nature of DNA in touch samples and the potential for DNA to degrade over time. Protein deposited in touch samples does not appear to share this limitation, with robust protein quantities collected across multiple human donors. The quantity and quality of protein remains robust regardless of fingerprint age. The proteomic content of these samples is consistent across individual donors and fingerprint age, supporting the future application of genetically variable peptide (GVP) analysis of touch samples for forensic identification.
AB - Human touch samples represent a significant portion of forensic DNA casework. Yet, the generally low abundance of genetic material combined with the predominantly extracellular nature of DNA in these samples makes DNA-based forensic analysis exceptionally challenging. Human proteins present in these same touch samples offer an abundant and environmentally-robust alternative. Proteogenomic methods, using protein sequence variants arising from nonsynonymous DNA mutations, have recently been applied to forensic analysis and may represent a viable option looking forward. However, DNA analysis remains the gold standard and any proteomics-based methods would need to consider how DNA could be co-extracted from samples without significant loss. Herein, we describe a simple workflow for the collection, enrichment and fractionation of DNA and protein in latent fingerprint samples. This approach ensures that DNA collected from a latent fingerprint can be analyzed by traditional DNA casework methods, while protein can be proteolytically digested and analyzed via standard liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based proteomics methods from the same touch sample. Sample collection from non-porous surfaces (i.e., glass) is performed through the application of an anionic surfactant over the fingermark. The sample is then split into separate DNA and protein fractions following centrifugation to enrich the protein fraction by pelleting skin cells. The results indicate that this workflow permits analysis of DNA within the sample, yet highlights the challenge posed by the trace nature of DNA in touch samples and the potential for DNA to degrade over time. Protein deposited in touch samples does not appear to share this limitation, with robust protein quantities collected across multiple human donors. The quantity and quality of protein remains robust regardless of fingerprint age. The proteomic content of these samples is consistent across individual donors and fingerprint age, supporting the future application of genetically variable peptide (GVP) analysis of touch samples for forensic identification.
KW - DNA analysis
KW - Protein analysis
KW - Sample preparation
KW - Touch sample analysis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85094970297&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.fsigen.2020.102405
DO - 10.1016/j.fsigen.2020.102405
M3 - Article
C2 - 33152624
AN - SCOPUS:85094970297
SN - 1872-4973
VL - 50
JO - Forensic Science International: Genetics
JF - Forensic Science International: Genetics
M1 - 102405
ER -