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 NIJ Training Course for Forensic DNA Officers of the Court: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Analysis of Maternal Inheritance Patterns

August 5, 2020
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An interactive tool used to supplement the NIJ online training course entitled 'Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court', as outlined in the eighth learning module, 'Mitochondrial DNA & Y-STR Analysis'. This brief animation shows how mtDNA is passed from a mother to her children and the implications of this inheritance pattern in forensic testing.
  
  
          Transcript
In this example we'll see how a mother's mtDNA  is passed from one generation to the next.  The mother is designated in red  and the father in dark blue.

Each child will inherit the mother's mtDNA  the passing of the mtDNA from mother to child is  shown by the corresponding color of each child.

Because egg cells contain  mitochondria and sperm cells do not,  only the mother's mtDNA is passed to the  next generation; the father's mtDNA is not.

In this example, the fourth generation shares  the mtDNA type with the first generation.
    
  
Disclaimer:
              Opinions or points of view expressed in these recordings represent those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any commercial products and manufacturers discussed in these recordings are presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.
  
Date Published: August 5, 2020
    
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