Amplification of Y Chromosome-Specific Sequences in Biological Evidence

Determination of the sex of the donor of a biological evidence sample may be valuable in any investigation in which the identity of the donor is in question. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used to amplify a 149 bp segment of a 3.4kb repeat sequence which is specific to the Y chromosome and is present in as many as several thousand copies in male DNA. This simple and rapid method of sex determination was first developed by Kogan et al. (1987) for the prenatal diagnosis of fetuses at risk for X-linked genetic disorders. We demonstrate that this method can be applied to the analysis of a variety of samples, including bloodstains, vaginal swabs, saliva on various subrates, and single hairs.