Abstract

Our study introduces the use of DNA fingerprinting of clonal plants in combination with phylogenetic and vegetation studies as a prospective forensic tool in criminal investigations. In this homicide case, the bryophyte species found on the suspects were identified as Brachythecium albicans, Calliergonella lindbergii, and Ceratodon purpureus. Colonies of all three species occurred at the crime site. DNA fingerprinting analyses were conducted for B. albicans and C. lindbergii, which were expected to reproduce mainly clonally, unlike C. purpureus, and included samples found on the suspects and samples collected from the crime site and other locations. It was concluded that B. albicans found on the suspects was likely to originate from the crime scene and that the sample of C. lindbergii may also have originated from the same site.

Issue Section:
Research Papers
Keywords:
forensic science, DNA typing, simple sequence repeats, random amplified polymorphic DNA, mosses, Brachythecium albicans, Calliergonella lindbergii, Ceratodon purpureus

References

1.
Jeffreys
 
AJ
,
Wilson
 
V
,
Thein
 
SL
.
Hypervariable “minisatellite” regions in human DNA
.
Nature
1985
;
314
:
67
–
73
.
2.
Gill
 
P
,
Werrett
 
DJ
.
Exclusion of a man charged with murder by DNA fingerprinting
.
Forensic Sci Int
1987
;
35
:
145
–
8
.
3.
Marx
 
JL
.
DNA fingerprinting takes the witness stand
.
Science
1988
;
240
:
1616
–
8
.
4.
McGourty C. New York State leads on genetic fingerprinting. Nature 1989;341:90.
5.
Congiu
 
L
,
Chicca
 
M
,
Cella
 
R
,
Rossi
 
R
,
Bernacchia
 
G
.
The use of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to identify strawberry varieties: a forensic application
.
Mol Ecol
2000
;
9
:
229
–
32
.
6.
Jagadish
 
V
,
Robertson
 
J
,
Gibbs
 
A
.
RAPD analysis distinguishes Cannabis sativa samples from different sources
.
Forensic Sci Int
1996
;
79
:
113
–
21
.
7.
Linacre
 
A
,
Thorpe
 
J
.
Detection and identification of cannabis by DNA
.
Forensic Sci Int
1998
;
91
:
71
–
6
.
8.
Gigliano
 
GS
.
Preliminary data on the usefulness of internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) sequence in Cannabis sativa L
.
identification. J Forensic Sci
1999
;
44
:
475
–
7
.
9.
Lee
 
JCI
,
Cole
 
M
,
Linacre
 
A
.
Identification of hallucinogenic fungi of the genera Psilocybe and Panaeolus by amplified fragment length polymorphism
.
Electrophoresis
2000
;
21
:
1484
–
7
.
10.
Lee
 
JCI
,
Cole
 
M
,
Linacre
 
A
.
Identification of members of the genera Panaeolus and Psilocybe by a DNA test: a preliminary test for hallucinogenic fungi
.
Forensic Sci Int
2000
;
112
:
123
–
33
.
11.
Guglich
 
EA
,
Wilson
 
PJ
,
White
 
BN
.
Forensic application of repetitive DNA markers to the species identification of animal tissues
.
J Forensic Sci
1994
;
39
:
353
–
61
.
12.
Sweijd
 
NA
,
Bowie
 
RCK
,
Lopata
 
AL
,
Marinaki
 
AM
,
Harley
 
EH
,
Cook
 
PA
.
A PCR technique for forensic, species-level identification of abalone tissue
.
J Shellfish Res
1998
;
17
:
889
–
95
.
13.
Poetsch
 
M
,
Seefeldt
 
S
,
Maschke
 
M
,
Lignitz
 
E
.
Analysis of microsatellite polymorphism in red deer, roe deer, and fallow deer: possible employment in forensic applications
.
Forensic Sci Int
2001
;
116
:
1
–
8
.
14.
Menotti-Raymond
 
MA
,
David
 
VA
, O'Brien SJ. Pet cat hair implicates murder suspect. Nature 1997;386:774.
15.
Savolainen
 
P
,
Lundeberg
 
J
.
Forensic evidence based on mtDNA from dog and wolf hairs
.
J Forensic Sci
1999
;
44
:
77
–
81
.
16.
Savolainen
 
P
,
Arvestad
 
L
,
Lundeberg
 
J
.
A novel method for forensic DNA investigations: Repeat-type sequence analysis of tandemly repeated mtDNA in domestic dogs
.
J Forensic Sci
2000
;
45
:
990
–
9
.
17.
State of Arizona v
. Mark Alan Bogan. Court of Appeals of Arizona, No.: 1 CA-CR 93-0453 (1995).
18.
Vogel
 
G
.
Forensic science: phylogenetic analysis: getting its day in court
.
Science
1997
;
275
:
1559
–
60
.
19.
Vogel
 
G
.
Forensic science: HIV strain analysis debuts in murder trial
.
Science
1998
;
282
:
851
–
3
.
20.
Ellstrand
 
NC
,
Roose
 
ML
.
Patterns of genotypic diversity in clonal plants
.
Am J Bot
1987
;
74
:
123
–
31
.
21.
Wolf
 
AT
,
Howe
 
RW
,
Hamrick
 
JL
.
Genetic diversity and population structure of the serpentine endemic Calystegia collina (Convolvulaceae) in northern California
.
Am J Bot
2000
;
87
:
1138
–
46
.
22.
Machon
 
N
,
Guillon
 
JM
,
Dobigny
 
G
, Le
Cadre
 
S
,
Moret
 
J
.
Genetic variation in the horsetail Equisetum variegatum Schleich, an endangered species in the Parisian region
.
Biodivers and Conserv
2001
;
10
:
1543
–
54
.
23.
Piippo
 
S
.
On the identification of the Finnish Brachythecium species (Brachytheciaceae, Musci)
.
Memoranda Societas Fauna Flora Fennica,
1986
;
60
:
45
–
53
.
24.
Hedenas
 
L
.
Field and microscope keys to the Fennoscandian species of the Calliergon-Scorpidium-Drepanocladus complex, including some related or similar species
. Sweden;
Biodetektor
 
AB
,
1993
.
25.
Smith
 
AJE
.
The Moss Flora of Britain & Ireland
.
New York
:
Cambridge University Press
,
1978
.
26.
Armstrong
 
JS
,
Gibbs
 
AJ
,
Peakall
 
R
,
Weiller
 
G
. “The RAPDistance Package” ftp://life.anu.edu.au/pub/software/RAPDistance or http://life. anu.edu.au/molecular/software/rapd.html,,
1994
.
27.
Felsenstein
 
J
. PHYLIP (Phylogeny Inference Package) version, 3.6a2. Distributed by the author. Department of Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle,
2001
.
This content is only available via PDF.
All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or copied, in whole or in part, in any printed, mechanical, electronic, film, or other distribution and storage media, without the written consent of ASTM International.
You do not currently have access to this content.