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Nanopore Sequencing of a Forensic STR Multiplex Reveals Loci Suitable for Single-Contributor STR Profiling.

ABSTRACT: Nanopore sequencing for forensic short tandem repeats (STR) genotyping comes with the advantages associated with massively parallel sequencing (MPS) without the need for a high up-front device cost, but genotyping is inaccurate, partially due to the occurrence of homopolymers in STR loci. The goal of this study was to apply the latest progress in nanopore sequencing by Oxford Nanopore Technologies in the field of STR genotyping. The experiments were performed using the state of the art R9.4 flow cell and the most recent R10 flow cell, which was specifically designed to improve consensus accuracy of homopolymers. Two single-contributor samples and one mixture sample were genotyped using Illumina sequencing, Nanopore R9.4 sequencing, and Nanopore R10 sequencing. The accuracy of genotyping was comparable for both types of flow cells, although the R10 flow cell provided improved data quality for loci characterized by the presence of homopolymers. We identify locus-dependent characteristics hindering accurate STR genotyping, providing insights for the design of a panel of STR loci suited for nanopore sequencing. Repeat number, the number of different reference alleles for the locus, repeat pattern complexity, flanking region complexity, and the presence of homopolymers are identified as unfavorable locus characteristics. For single-contributor samples and for a limited set of the commonly used STR loci, nanopore sequencing could be applied. However, the technology is not mature enough yet for implementation in routine forensic workflows.

SUBMITTER: Tytgat O

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7230633 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Nanopore Sequencing of a Forensic STR Multiplex Reveals Loci Suitable for Single-Contributor STR Profiling.

Tytgat Olivier O Gansemans Yannick Y Weymaere Jana J Rubben Kaat K Deforce Dieter D Van Nieuwerburgh Filip F

Genes 20200401 4

Nanopore sequencing for forensic short tandem repeats (STR) genotyping comes with the advantages associated with massively parallel sequencing (MPS) without the need for a high up-front device cost, but genotyping is inaccurate, partially due to the occurrence of homopolymers in STR loci. The goal of this study was to apply the latest progress in nanopore sequencing by Oxford Nanopore Technologies in the field of STR genotyping. The experiments were performed using the state of the art R9.4 flow ...[more]

PMID: 32244632

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Project description:Due to its proficiency to provide the most discriminating results for forensic applications, medical research and anthropological studies, multiplex PCR based STR analysis has been established as the most efficient technique in the forensic DNA analysis. Several multiplex amplification kits based on 4, 5 and 6 dyes chemistry are commercially available and used in forensic DNA typing across the globe. These multiplex PCR systems are routinely used for amplification of multiple STR loci (Autosomal, Y and/or X STR's) in the DNA extracted from various biological samples. In the routine forensic DNA testing, DNA profile obtained is compared with the DNA profile of the reference sample, which takes a certain turnaround time and employs costly lab resources. Successive development in forensic DNA typing have resulted in advent of improved multiplex kits which have reduced the effective analysis time, cost and minimized the number of steps required in comparison to conventional forensic DNA typing. Specialized direct amplification compatible multiplex kits are also available nowadays. These kits are relatively costlier but still require few pre-processing steps, which does not make them worth the hefty cost. Herein, this study, we have used non-direct multiplex STR kits to assess their efficacy for direct amplification. In the present study, 103 saliva samples were directly amplified without any pre-treatment of the samples using thirteen non-direct multiplex kits (4 dyes, 5 dyes and 6 dyes chemistry based) for forensic DNA typing. Here, we report a validated direct PCR amplification protocol from the reference saliva samples by omitting DNA extraction and quantification steps, which resulted in 80% reduction of the turnaround time. The developed protocol is cost effective, time efficient and it does not compromise with the quality of DNA profiles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report for direct amplification of DNA with the most commonly used non-direct multiplex STR kits without any pre-treatment of the sample. Complete DNA profiles matching all the essential quality parameters were obtained successfully from all the tested samples.

Dataset Information

Nanopore Sequencing of a Forensic STR Multiplex Reveals Loci Suitable for Single-Contributor STR Profiling.

Publications

Nanopore Sequencing of a Forensic STR Multiplex Reveals Loci Suitable for Single-Contributor STR Profiling.

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