Validation Study for the Sex Typing Using Amelogenin.

Korean J Leg Med. 2000 May;24(1):43-50. Korean.

Department of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Korea.

The aim of this study was to validate the sex typing based on amplification of X-Y homologous Amelogenin locus in Korean including mutation rate in this locus. It was found that there was no case with reported mutation that may hinder the exact sex typing among 240 Koreans, and the sex typing was successful even with subnanogram quantities of male and female DNA. There was no difference in the sensitivity of reaction among male and female. Differential amplification between X and Y amelogenin bands in some samples was noted, and dilution study revealed that this phenomenon was more frequent when the quantity of sample was low, usually less than 10 ng. That phenomenon was variable between amplification reactions, and was also dependent on different Taq enzyme used for the amplification. When there was differential amplification, the intensity ratio (Y band/X band) ranged about 0.68 - 0.87.

Key words: Amelogenin, validation, mutation, subnanogram, differential amplification