Advancement of forensic individualization using markers for age- and physical appearance-estimation

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22249023
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Legal medicine
• Research Institution: University of Fukui
• Principal Investigator: YASUDA TOSHIHIRO 福井大学, 医学部, 教授 (80175645)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): UEKI Misuzu 福井大学, 医学部, 助手 (00165656) ; IIDA Reiko 福井大学, 医学部, 准教授 (40139788) ; KOMINATO Yoshihiko 群馬大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (30205512) ; TAKESHITA Haruo 島根大学, 医学部, 教授 (90292599) ; NAGAO Masataka 広島大学, 医歯学総合研究科, 教授 (80227991)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 個人識別 / 年齢推定 / 外観推定 / 転写因子 / SNP / DNase / 遺伝子改変マウス / リスクファクター

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aims of this study were to confirm a molecular basis for utilization of age- and physical appearance-estimation markers for forensic individualization; (1) Age-dependent M-LP gene, previously identified, was regulated by a novel transcriptional repressor Rhit. (2) Human homolog of Rhit gene was regulated by FODX3 and GABP. Furthermore, several SNPs producing loss-of-function were present in the gene. (3) M-LP was involved in cellular response to oxidative stress. (4) A methodology using age-dependent transcriptional factors for identification of novel age-estimation markers could be confirmed. (5) Rhit-knockout mice exhibited no unique phenotypes, indicating that the Rhit gene might be functionally complemented by other factors. (6) HMGA2 and GHR genes were related to height, and cardiac weight etc., respectively, in a Japanese population. (7) All the functional SNPs, possibly served as genetic risk factor for autoimmunity, in the genes encoding human DNase family were identified.

Free Research Field

法医学、鑑識科学