STR-Analysis of maternal and foetal DNA in human placenta: a preliminary study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of obtaining maternal and foetal genetic profiles analysing the most common polymorphic markers (microsatellites – STR) in the forensic field, with extraction and typing of human genomic DNA at different times from placenta expulsion using different conservation methods. Although the DNA extracted from all the samples was useful in the analysis of the STR polymorphisms, only mixed profiles were obtained. This suggests that sampling with the naked eye or the stereomicroscope does not allow for complete separation of the maternal side from the foetal side and, therefore, the characterization of the single genetic profiles. The authors propose that the use of alternative isolation methods, such as the laser microdissection may be of help in solving this problem.