Comparative analysis of DNA yields from different cranial bones in skeletonized remains: two forensic case studies

Abstract

Bones and teeth are robust DNA sources for the analysis of skeletonized remains in forensic identification. Often, limited evidentiary items are available for forensic investigations, necessitating bone element selection for DNA analysis. The aim of the present study was to compare the DNA yield of five cranial bones (frontal, parietal, sphenoid, temporal, and occipital) recovered from two individuals (cases A and B) using three analytical approaches: human genomic DNA (gDNA) quantification, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Sanger sequencing, and short tandem repeat (STR) typing. gDNA extracted from a specific amount of decalcified bone using the PrepfilerTM Forensic DNA Extraction Kit was quantified using the QuantifilerTM Trio DNA Quantification Kit, followed by PCR amplification of small HLA-DRA. mtDNA Sanger sequencing was performed, and the DNA extracted from the samples was amplified using the GlobalFilerTM PCR Amplification Kit to compare STR typing efficiency. The three DNA analysis methods invariably identified the frontal bone as the foremost DNA source among the cranial bones. Although the samples were collected from only two cases, we believe that our findings could facilitate the effective selection of cranial bones for DNA analysis under resource-limited conditions.