DNA Extraction and Comparison Between Old and Fresh Necrophilic Fly Samples

Summary

This article describes a protocol for fresh and old necrophilic fly DNA extraction using a modified common DNA extraction kit.

Abstract

A total of five samples of Chrysomya megacephala samples - three fresh samples, one sample stored in alcohol for 2 years, and one sample stored in dry sealed storage for 2 years protected from light only - were selected to investigate whether a blood DNA extraction kit could extract DNA from necrophilous flies and to determine whether alcohol could prolong the preservation of necrophilous flies' DNA. First, the blood DNA extraction kit was used to extract DNA from their thorax tissues. Then, the DNA purity and concentration were examined using a microplate reader and a fluorometer. Finally, PCR amplification and electrophoresis of the extracted DNA were done with necrophilic fly-specific primers located in the mitochondrial CO I gene sequence. The results showed that the DNA purity of all samples was greater than 2.0. The DNA concentration was observed to be of the following order: fresh samples > alcohol-preserved old samples > untreated, old samples. All samples had specific electrophoretic bands after PCR amplification. In conclusion, a blood DNA extraction kit can be used to extract DNA from necrophilic flies successfully, and the DNA concentration of fresh fly samples is greater than that of old fly samples. The flies can be stored in alcohol for a long time.

Introduction

The inference of the time of death has always been one of the key and difficult issues to be resolved in judicial practice. In the practice of forensic science, for a criminal case, determining postmortem interval plays a crucial role in deducing the time of the crime, locking in the suspect, and narrowing the scope of the investigation. Traditional methods of inferring the time of death are based primarily on early postmortem phenomena, which can generally only be used to infer the time of death within 24 h. However, the long time of death cannot be determined by postmortem phenomena. It is now generally recognized in the forensic science community that forensic ento....

Protocol

NOTE: A total of five samples of C. megacephala samples were used in this protocol-three fresh samples (Fresh 1, Fresh 2, and Fresh 3), one sample stored in alcohol for 2 years (Old 1), and one sample stored in dry sealed storage for 2 years protected from light only (Old 2). Samples must be labeled according to the experimental requirements.

1. General sample storage and preparations

1. Sample selection and preparation
   NOTE: Be sure to work in the fum.......

Discussion

DNA extraction is the most critical link in the molecular identification of necrophilous flies, and its extraction method and the quality of the extracted DNA directly affect subsequent detection. In this experiment, we successfully extracted DNA from necrophilous flies by using a common blood kit, without the need to purchase a special insect DNA extraction kit, which makes insect DNA extraction easier to accomplish.

The surface of flies is rich in chitin, especially in the larval and pupal s.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Buffer AE	Qiagen	172026832	DNA elution buffer
Buffer AL	Qiagen	172028374	lysis buffer
Buffer ATL	Qiagen	172028162	tissue lysis buffer
Buffer AW1	Qiagen	172028760	protein removal buffer
Buffer AW2	Qiagen	57203108	desalination buffer
C1-J-2495	Taihe Biotechnology	TW21109216	forword primer
C1-N-2800	Taihe Biotechnology	TW21109217	reverse primer
D2000 DNA ladder	Real-Times(Beijing) Biotechnology	RTM415	Measure the position of electrophoretic bands
DNeasy Mini spin column	Qiagen	166050343	DNA adsorption column
Dry Bath Incubator	Miulab	DKT200-2D	used for heating
MIX-30S Mini Mixer	Miulab	MUC881206	oscillatory action
Proteinase K	Qiagen	172026218	Inactivation of intracellular nucleases and other proteins
Qubit 3.0 Fluorometer	Thermo Fisher Scientific	2321611188
Speed Micro-Centrifuge	Scilogex	9013001121	centrifuge
Standard#1	Thermo Fisher Scientific	2342797
Standard#2	Thermo Fisher Scientific	2342797
Tanon 3500R Gel Imager	Tanon	16T5553R-455	gel imaging
Taq Mix Pro	Monad	00007808-140534	PCR Mix
Taq Mix Pro	Monad	00007808-140534	PCR Mix
Thermo Cycler	Zhuhai Hema	VRB020A	ordinary PCR
Working Solution	Thermo Fisher Scientific	2342797