FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-08/8

Title and Subtitle: Use of Alternative Primers for Gender Discrimination in Human Forensic Genotyping

Report Date: April 2008

Authors: Kupfer DM, Jenkins M, Burian D, Canfield DV

Abstract: An assay using the Federal Bureau of Investigation�s human Combined DNA Identity System (CODIS) primers has been developed for polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based human identity testing. Recent forensic literature has identified several human populations that carry a deletion mutation in the Y-chromosome copy of the amelogenin locus. This is the standard locus used for gender determination in CODIS. Additionally, the amelogenin male PCR products are very close in size requiring manual annotation of PCR electrophoresis results for this locus.

This study was designed to test several gender-specific primers which are to loci outside the amelogenin region, have well-separated PCR products, and could serve as additions or replacements to amelogenin in our human identity testing assay.

Key Words: PCR, Genotyping, Gender Determination, Electrophoresis

No. of Pages: 10