Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
11262708 | Forensic Science International: Genetics | 2019 | 23 Pages |
Abstract
In general, it is extremely problematic to discriminate between monozygotic twins (MZTs), who share the same genomic DNA sequence, using traditional DNA-based identification methods such as short tandem repeat profiling. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have shown potential in forensic applications owing to their low molecular weight, abundant and tissue-specific expression. In this study, we utilized massively parallel sequencing technology to perform genome-wide profiling of miRNAs in the blood from four pairs of healthy MZTs. On average, 158 miRNAs were detected in each individual and 14% of which were differentially expressed within each pair of MZTs. The miRNAs with the most significant differences in expression between the twins were confirmed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Our results demonstrated that miRNAs have potential for use as molecular markers in MZTs discrimination.
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Authors
Chen Fang, Jing Zhao, Xu Liu, Jingjing Zhang, Yunwang Cao, Yaran Yang, Chunrui Yu, Xiaoli Zhang, Jialin Qian, Wenli Liu, Huijuan Wu, Jiangwei Yan,