Epigenetics in Forensic Sciences

Abstract

Epigenetics involves changes in gene function that are not related to changes in the DNA sequence. Among the epigenetic mechanisms are DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). DNA methylation is a process by which methyl groups are added to DNA and generally acts to repress gene transcription. Methylation patterns can be used in forensic for identification of biological fluids and tissues, age prediction and distinguishing between monozygotic twins. Regulatory ncRNAs are RNA molecules that are not translated into protein and play an important role in the regulation of gene expression. Among them, the most studied are microRNAs (miRNAs), which can induce genetic silencing through their direct association with messenger RNA (mRNA). Numerous published studies report that many miRNAs are expressed in a tissue-specific manner, being quite promising for the forensic field in the identification of biological fluids such as blood, semen, saliva and vaginal secretions. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) use several mechanisms to regulate gene expression. Several studies have demonstrated the potential use of lncRNAs as biological markers, however, due to the large number of existing lncRNAs, they still need to be better characterized to evaluate their possible use in the forensic field. Epigenetic applications in forensic science are relatively new and currently limited, however, the world of epigenetics has the potential to improve criminal investigations by increasing the amount of information that can be obtained from biological material found at crime scenes, thus contributing to more evidence for the justice system.

Keywords

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