Mitochondrial DNA in Fornescis: Principles, Applications, and Limitations
Authors: Mahdi Al–Zubaidi Mohammed ,   Department of Molecular genetics and DNA fingerprinting,Forensic DNA Research and Training Center, Al-Nahrain University, Jadiriya, Baghdad, Iraq, Abdul Lateef Mahdi Asia , Husam Al-Tabra Reem , Khalid Ibrahim Al-Sammaraie Halah , Ameen Abd el_Jabbar Ban , A. Jawad Asmaa , Nabil Hameed Sura ,   Forensic DNA Centre for Research and Training, Al-Nahrain University, Jadiriya, Baghdad, Iraq,   Forensic DNA Centre for Research and Training, Al-Nahrain University, Jadiriya, Baghdad, Iraq,   Forensic DNA Centre for Research and Training, Al-Nahrain University, Jadiriya, Baghdad, Iraq,   Forensic DNA Centre for Research and Training, Al-Nahrain University, Jadiriya, Baghdad, Iraq,   Forensic DNA Centre for Research and Training, Al-Nahrain University, Jadiriya, Baghdad, Iraq,   Forensic DNA Centre for Research and Training, Al-Nahrain University, Jadiriya, Baghdad, Iraq
Published: July 2024

Forensic science involves the scientific analysis and interpretation of evidence that is used in legal proceedings to establish guilt or innocence. The use of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in forensics is crucial as it has several advantages over other types of DNA. For instance, mtDNA is more resistant to degradation than nuclear DNA, making it suitable for analysis even in small or degraded samples. Additionally, mtDNA is maternally inherited, and this makes it useful in tracing an individual's maternal lineage or identifying relationships between individuals across multiple generations. Another advantage of mtDNA analysis is its reliability and accuracy since it is less prone to errors or contamination. This is because mtDNA is found in the mitochondria, which are separate from the cell nucleus and are less likely to be affected by extraneous DNAor contamination. Overall, the use of mtDNA in forensic science has significantly improved the accuracy and reliability of criminal investigations, making it a vital tool in the criminal justice system. In mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, the two regions of the mtDNA genome that are typically analyzed are hyper variable regions 1 and 2 (HV1 and HV2). HV1 and HV2 are non-coding regions of the mtDNA genome, meaning that they do not contain information for the production of proteins. Instead, they contain a high degree of variation in their nucleotide sequences, which makes them useful for identifying individuals and their maternal lineages. The interpretation of mtDNA analysis results from HV1 and HV2 involves comparing the nucleotide sequences obtained from the evidence sample to a reference database of mtDNA sequences. This comparison is done to identify any matches or differences between the sample and the reference sequences. If there are no differences or only a few, the sample is considered to be a match to the reference sequence. The more differences there are between the sample and the reference sequences, the less likely it is that the sample and reference sequences came from the same individual or maternal lineage.The interpretation of mtDNA analysis results from HV1 and HV2 can be used to provide information about the identity and maternal lineage of an individual. For example, if an evidence sample matches a reference sequence from a known maternal relative, this can be used to support the identification of the individual,