Feline non-repetitive mitochondrial DNA control region database for forensic evidence

Abstract

The domestic cat is the one of the most popular pets throughout the world. A by-product of owning, interacting with, or being in a household with a cat is the transfer of shed fur to clothing or personal objects. As trace evidence, transferred cat fur is a relatively untapped resource for forensic scientists. Both phenotypic and genotypic characteristics can be obtained from cat fur, but databases for neither aspect exist. Because cats incessantly groom, cat fur may have nucleated cells, not only in the hair bulb, but also as epithelial cells on the hair shaft deposited during the grooming process, thereby generally providing material for DNA profiling. To effectively exploit cat hair as a resource, representative databases must be established. This study evaluates 402 bp of the mtDNA control region (CR) from 1,394 cats, including cats from 25 distinct worldwide populations and 26 breeds. Eighty-three percent of the cats are represented by 12 major mitotypes. An additional 8.0% are clearly derived from the major mitotypes. Unique sequences were found in 7.5% of the cats. The overall genetic diversity for this data set was 0.8813 ± 0.0046 with a random match probability of 11.8%. This region of the cat mtDNA has discriminatory power suitable for forensic application worldwide.

Application of a mitochondrial DNA control region frequency database for UK domestic cats

“…After NanoDrop quantification (Thermo Scientific) all samples were diluted to 5ng/µl before PCR amplification with primers JHmtF3-gatagtgcttaatcgtgc and JHmtR3-gtcctgtggaacaatagg following a published procedure [9]. Subsequent Exonuclease 1 and shrimp alkaline phosphatase treatments degraded the primers and removed excess dNTPs prior to Big Dye v3.1 terminator sequencing of the 492-bp products on an ABI3730 Genetic Analyzer.…”

“…Subsequent Exonuclease 1 and shrimp alkaline phosphatase treatments degraded the primers and removed excess dNTPs prior to Big Dye v3.1 terminator sequencing of the 492-bp products on an ABI3730 Genetic Analyzer. Forward and reverse sequences generated with the above primers were aligned using CodonCode Aligner (CodonCode Corp.) and the consensus sequences of the 402-bp region previously reported [9] were compared across all individuals in the dataset. The relationship between mitotypes was investigated with median-joining networks constructed with Network 5 software (Fluxus Technology Ltd).…”

“…The hairs from the curtain yielded insufficient DNA for STR profiling [8], but a 402-bp fragment of the mtDNA control region flanked by repeat sequences RS2 and RS3 was successfully amplified and Sanger sequenced. The resultant sequence did not match any of the 149 mtDNA haplotypes (mitotypes) seen within a database of 1394 cats from 25 distinct populations in the USA, Asia and Europe [9]. The victim's cat possessed a different mitotype and was excluded as a potential source, but the suspect's cat was a match for this globally rare sequence.…”

SNP Miniplexes for Individual Identification of Random‐Bred Domestic Cats

“…aFor review articles and original references 19, 20, 21.b“+” implies the wild‐type allele.cMOI implies mode of inheritance: AR is autosomal recessive, AD is autosomal dominant.dThe variant b = −5IVS6, in TYRP1, is associated with brown coloration. The tested variants are in linkage disequilibrium with this casual variant.…”

Molecular Markers and Genetic Diversity in Neotropical Felids

“…Grahn et al (2011) analyzed a fragment of 402pb of the mtDNA control region for identifying mitotypes of domestic cats (Felis catus) of United States and other geographical regions. The total sampling was of 1394 animals (174 previously studied) and the analyses showed that this region has suitable discriminatory power for use in wildlife forensics.…”