Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2007
Abstract
Mobile elements are commonly referred to as selfish repetitive DNA sequences. However, mobile elements represent a unique and underutilized group of molecular markers. Several of their characteristics make them ideally suited for use as tools in forensic genomic applications. These include their nature as essentially homoplasy-free characters, they are identical by descent, the ancestral state of any insertion is known to be the absence of the element, and many mobile element insertions are lineage specific. In this review, we provide an overview of mobile element biology and describe the application of certain mobile elements, especially the SINEs and other retrotransposons, to forensic genomics. These tools include quantitative species-specific DNA detection, analysis of complex biomaterials, and the inference of geographic origin of human DNA samples. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Mutation Research - Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis
First Page
24
Last Page
33
Recommended Citation
Ray, D., Walker, J., & Batzer, M. (2007). Mobile element-based forensic genomics. Mutation Research - Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis, 616 (1-2), 24-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2006.11.019