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Advanced extraction and purification techniques were found to be essential tools for obtaining sufficient DNA from bones. However, in case of short tandem repeats (STRs) typing failure especially with old skeletal remains, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis is the ultimate solution for individual and species identification. Thirty six bone samples were collected from human remains. DNA was extracted using the organic method after special sample preparations and quantified using a Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done using Identifiler Plus PCR Amplification Kit and amplified products were typed using a Genetic Analyzer for autosomal STR typing. Samples with DNA concentration above 0.04 ng were efficient in obtaining their complete STR profiles. MtDNA control region was also amplified and sequenced. MtDNA was more efficient than autosomal STR profiling in discriminating among human bone samples especially those which have low and/or degraded DNA content.

An acceptable area for collecting DNA reference sample is a part of the forensic DNA analysis development. The aim of this study was to evaluate skin surface cells (SSC) as an alternate source of reference DNA sample. From each volunteer (n = 10), six samples from skin surface areas (forearm and fingertips) and two traditional samples (blood and buccal cells) were collected. Genomic DNA was extracted and quantified then genotyped using standard techniques. The highest DNA concentration of SSC samples was collected using the tape/forearm method of collection (2.1 ng/lL). Cotton swabs moistened with ethanol yielded higher quantities of DNA than swabs moistened with salicylic acid, and it gave the highest percentage of full STR profiles (97%). This study supports the use of SSC as a noninvasive sampling technique and as a extremely useful source of DNA reference samples among certain cultures where the use of buccal swabs can be considered socially unacceptable.

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Background The Y chromosome polymorphism has been widely studied for human migrations, population genetics, forensic applications, and paternity analysis. However, studies regarding genetic lineage and population genetic structure of the Y chromosome in different regions of Saudi Arabia are limited. Aim This study aimed to analyze the distribution of Y chromosome haplotypes in a sample of 125 native Saudi males from different geographic regions of Saudi Arabia and compare to previously published Y chromosome haplotype data from Saudi Arabia and some neighboring Arab populations. Materials and methods Buccal swabs were collected from 125 healthy unrelated native Saudi males from different geographic regions of Saudi Arabia. Genomic DNA was extracted by Chelex®100; 17 Y-STR loci were amplified using the AmpFℓlSTR Yfiler PCR amplification kit and detected on the 3130 Genetic AnalyzerTM. Allele frequency and gene diversity were calculated with online tool STRAF. The Saudi population data were compared with the neighboring populations using pairwise genetic distances and associated probability values were calculated using the Y Chromosome Haplotype Reference Database Website (YHRD) software. Results and conclusion One hundred six YSTR haplotypes and 102 YSTR alleles (excluding 4 null alleles) were identified having a discrimination capacity (DC) of 85.8%. The highest haplotype diversity (HD) and gene diversity (GD) were observed at the loci DYS 458 (0.817) and DYS385b (0.807), respectively. According to our results, the Iraqi and Qena (Egypt) populations appeared to have closer relatedness to the Saudi population as compared with Yemen. The UAE and Kuwait populations showed the same degree of relatedness to the Saudi population followed by Bahrain. On the contrary, the Adnanit and Qahtanit populations of Jordan demonstrated low genetic distance from the Saudi population. In short, studying a population sample of pure Saudi ethnicity enabled us to identify a unique set of haplotypes which may help in establishing genetic relatedness between Saudi and the neighboring Arab populations. The present paper, therefore, highlights the importance of ensuring ethnic originality of the study sample while conducting population genetics studies.