USAGE OF THE POWERPLEX ® S 5 MINI-STR SYSTEM IN LCN DNA TESTING
INTRODUCTION: The primary value of DNA typing has been significantly increased in the last fifteen years due to introduction of short tandem repeat (STR) loci in routine paternity testing, as well as in forensic cases and mass disaster human identification. Nevertheless, ability to obtain DNA profiles from very small amounts of sample still presents certain types of challenges in forensic casework. As it is already known, low-copy number (LCN) DNA testing typically refers to examination of less than 100 pg of input DNA. In this analysis the number of PCR cycles is often increased to improve the amplification yield. Nevertheless, application of LCN results should be approached with caution due to the possibilities of allele dropout, allele drop-in, and increased risks of collection-based and laboratory based contamination. Therefore, sometimes, additional DNA analysis of these samples is required to be performed with an available miniSTR system.