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                            Library & Multimedia
 Total RNA Analysis of Bacterial Community Structural and Functional Shifts Throughout Vertebrate Decomposition
NCJ Number
              301334
Journal

*Journal of Forensic Sciences* Volume: 64 Issue: 6 Dated: 2019 Pages: 1707-1719
Author(s)
          Z. M. Burcham;
                        et al
Date Published

2019
Length
              13 pages
Annotation
              Since multiple methods have been proposed to provide accurate time since death estimations, and recently, the discovery of bacterial community turnover during decomposition has shown itself to have predictable patterns that may prove useful, the current study demonstrated the use of metatranscriptomics from the postmortem microbiome to simultaneously obtain community structure and functional data across postmortem intervals (PMIs).
Abstract
              The study found that bacterial succession patterns reveal similar trends as detected through DNA analysis, such as increasing Clostridiaceae as decomposition occurs, strengthening the reliability of total RNA community analyses. This study also provided one of the first analyses of RNA transcripts to characterize bacterial metabolic pathways during decomposition. Distinct pathways were identified, such as amino acid metabolism, to be strongly up-regulated with increasing PMIs. Elucidating the metabolic activity of postmortem microbial communities provides the first steps to discovering postmortem functional biomarkers, since functional redundancy across bacteria may reduce host individual microbiome variability. (publisher abstract modified)
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        2014-DN-BX-K008


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Award
        Utilization of microbial structure and function in investigations of criminal justice
    
  
  
Date Published: January 1, 2019
    
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        Postmortem interval
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