Fixed-bin analysis for statistical evaluation of continuous distributions of allelic data from VNTR loci, for use in forensic comparisons

The detection of DNA polymorphisms by RFLP analysis is having a major impact on identity testing in forensic science. At present, this approach is the best effort a forensic scientist can make to exclude an individual who has been falsely associated with an evidentiary sample found at a crime scene....

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAmerican journal of human genetics Vol. 48; no. 5; pp. 841 - 855
Main Authors BUDOWLE, B, GIUSTI, A. M, WAYE, J. S, BAECHTEL, F. S, FOURNEY, R. M, ADAMS, D. E, PRESLEY, L. A, DEADMAN, H. A, MONSON, K. L
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chicago, IL University of Chicago Press 01.05.1991
Subjects
African Continental Ancestry Group
Alleles
Biological and medical sciences
DNA Fingerprinting - methods
European Continental Ancestry Group
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene Frequency
Genetic Carrier Screening - methods
Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution
Genetics, Population
Homozygote
Humans
Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
Human
Distribution
Inheritance
Genetic identification
Locus
Statistical study
Population genetics
Medicolegal expertise
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Summary:The detection of DNA polymorphisms by RFLP analysis is having a major impact on identity testing in forensic science. At present, this approach is the best effort a forensic scientist can make to exclude an individual who has been falsely associated with an evidentiary sample found at a crime scene. When an analysis fails to exclude a suspect as a potential contributor of an evidentiary sample, a means should be provided to assess suitable weight to the putative match. Most important, the statistical analysis should not place undue weight on a genetic profile derived from an unknown sample that is attributed to an accused individual. The method must allow for limitations in conventional agarose-submarine-gel electrophoresis and Southern blotting procedure, limited sample population data, possible subpopulation differences, and potential sampling error. A conservative statistical method was developed based on arbitrarily defined fixed bins. This approach permits classification of continuous allelic data, provides for a simple and portable data-base system, and is unlikely to underestimate the frequency of occurrence of a set of alleles. This will help ensure that undue weight is not placed on a sample attributed to an accused individual.
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ISSN:0002-9297
1537-6605