Hailey Redding

Crime Scene: #2
Evidence Being Examined: Mitochondrial DNA
Forensic Science Used: PCR and Agarose Gel Electrophoresis
Summary of the Science:
In the late 1980s the FBI Laboratory began studying the feasibility of mitochondrial DNA
(mtDNA) analysis for human identification. Protocol for using mtDNA sequencing in forensic
casework started being used in 1992. Sequencing is often used in cases where biological
evidence is degraded into small quantity such as when hair, bone, or teeth are the only
evidence found. In 1986 the polymerase chain reaction (PSR) first comes to play in scientific
literature and crime scene investigation. PSR enables scientists to rapidly multiply small
specimens of DNA. A while later in 1995 PCR and DNA fingerprinting play a major role in the
O.J. Simpson murder trial. Shortly after in 1998 the FBI launches its national DNA database
allowing evidence to quickly be examined and matched with anyone already entered. All
methods mentioned are still used in the present.
Mitochondrial DNA can not identify an individual person like other forms of DNA can, however it
connects family line. MtDNA carries through the maternal line, connecting a mother to their
child, however this line ends when a woman has only a son. Everyones mtDNA is the same as
their mothers, their mothers mothers, and so on, but it is never transferred down from a male.
Saying that we get half of our DNA from our mothers and half from our fathers isnt exactly true.
However not every female line simply leads back to a single woman, it is not that simple
however fascinating the idea is. However rare, about one every thousand generations, genetic
mutations exist. Occasionally there is a change or mutation passed from a mother to their child
in one of the letters of the mitochondrial DNA code. This new letter, called a point mutation, is
then transferred to the next daughter or son and so on.
In order to process Mitochondrial DNA four things should be done; isolation, amplification,
separation, and analysis. In general, all methods of isolation involve disruption, lysis, of the
starting material followed by the removal of proteins and other contaminants and finally the
recovery of the DNA. Removal of proteins is typically achieved by digestion with proteinase K,
followed by salting-out, organic extraction, or binding of the DNA to a solid-phase support (either
anion-exchange or silica technology). In order to amplify the DNA PCR is commonly used after
the DNA has been seperated. To amplify a segment of DNA using PCR, the sample is first
heated so the DNA denatures, or separates into two pieces of single-stranded DNA. Next, an
enzyme called "Taq polymerase" synthesizes - builds - two new strands of DNA, using the
original strands as templates. This process results in the duplication of the original DNA, with
each of the new molecules containing one old and one new strand of DNA. Then each of these
strands can be used to create two new copies, and so on, and so on leading to more than a
million copies. PCR is extremely helpful because it amplifies small amounts of DNA so that it
can be easier analyzed. In order to separate DNA agarose gel electrophoresis is often used with
the results of PCR. Gel electrophoresis is a standard lab procedure for separating DNA by size,
length in base pairs, for visualization and purification. Electrophoresis uses an electrical field to

move the negatively charged DNA toward a positive electrode through an agarose gel mixture.
The gel mixture allows shorter DNA fragments to migrate more quickly than larger ones. Thus,
you can accurately determine the length of a DNA segment by running it on agarose gel
alongside a DNA ladder. Once the DNA is separated, it is analyzed and compared to DNA taken
from suspects to look for a match. This whole process allows DNA to be examined easier and
helps in certain cases to identify either the victim or the person who committed the crime.
Based on the results from the mitochondrial DNA analyzed, it was determined that victims
name was Nathan Heron. The mtDNA taken from the crime scene was run against that of a
narrowed down list of missing persons mothers. This allowed the connection to be made from
the victim to his mother and for his identification to be possible.