mRNA / miRNA
Definition
Messenger and micro RNA. Forensic RNA profiling uses tissue-specific transcripts of both classes to identify body fluids.
- Full names
- Messenger RNA and micro RNA
- Field
- Forensic RNA profiling, DNA phenotyping
- Use
- Tissue-specific body fluid identification
Common questions
How does miRNA-based identification differ from mRNA-based identification?+
miRNAs are much shorter and more stable than mRNA transcripts, making them more resistant to degradation in aged or environmentally exposed stains, while mRNA panels are generally more established and validated across accredited forensic laboratories.
Why combine both RNA classes rather than using just one?+
Using complementary mRNA and miRNA marker panels increases confidence in a body fluid call, since agreement between two independent molecular classes reduces the risk of a false identification from degraded or mixed-source material.
Is RNA profiling routinely used in casework or mostly research?+
Adoption varies by jurisdiction: several national forensic institutes have validated RNA-based body fluid panels for casework use, but many laboratories worldwide still rely primarily on presumptive and confirmatory chemical tests, with RNA profiling used as a supplementary or specialist method.
Related terms
- Biogeographic Ancestry Inference (BGA)
- Statistical assignment of a donor to continental ancestry groups using Ancestry-Informative SNPs (AIMs). Distinct from racial categorisation.
- Body-Fluid-Specific Transcripts
- RNA markers expressed only in one fluid: HBB for blood, STATH for saliva, PRM1 for semen, MUC4 for vaginal fluid, MMP7 for...
- Deconvolution
- A computational technique that estimates the PSF and inverts its effect to recover a sharper image. The quality depends entirely on how...
- Externally Visible Characteristics (EVCs)
- Traits a witness could see: eye, hair, skin colour, freckling, hair shape, height. The EU-funded VISAGE consortium targets this set.
- Forensic DNA Phenotyping (FDP)
- Prediction of externally visible characteristics, ancestry and age of an unknown donor from SNP genotypes. Investigative lead, not identification.
- HIrisPlex-S
- A 41-SNP externally visible characteristics (EVC) panel for simultaneous prediction of eye, hair, and skin colour, developed at Erasmus MC Rotterdam by...
- Parabon Snapshot
- A commercial DNA phenotyping service (Parabon NanoLabs, Virginia, US) that genotypes thousands of SNPs from a crime-scene sample and uses machine learning...
- SNP
- Single Nucleotide Polymorphism. A one-base variant at a defined position. FDP uses SNP panels, not STRs.