Sex determination in femurs of modern Egyptians: A comparative study between metric measurements and SRY gene detection

BackgroundSex determination of the human skeleton has been studied in forensic and physical anthropology. Long bones have been especially used because of the ease of defining measurements and better preservation. The femur is the most studied of all long bones. The application of PCR to forensic medicine has greatly enhanced the power and sensitivity of DNA analysis which has become a valuable tool for the identification of missing individuals and unknown remains.Aim of workDetermination of sex from the femur bones and comparing the anatomical method with that of SRY gene detection.Materials and methodsA total of 20 adult Egyptian human bones were selected for this study. They were obtained from the Unit of Anthropology, Anatomy Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. The diameter of the femoral head and the femoral mid-shaft circumference were used as metric measurements in sex determination of the femur. A multiplex method for DNA sex determination using the sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene was used. It involved two sets of primers, amplifying two different DNA sequences in a single reaction.ResultsBy measuring both the femoral head diameter and the mid-shaft circumference, it was revealed that 8 out of the 20 specimens were males while the rest were females. On the other hand, using the DNA analysis, all the samples showed amplification of one fragment (239/242 bp) in case of female origin, and two fragments (239/242 bp and 139 bp) in case of male origin. This DNA analysis verified the results obtained using metric measurements of the femur.ConclusionThe SRY gene detection method for sex determination is quick and simple, requiring only one PCR reaction. It corroborates the results obtained from anatomical measurements and further confirms the sex of the femur bone in question.