Forensic Context

A study in humans using TaqMan RT-qPCR found that the miR-658 was almost undetectable in all samples of peripheral blood, saliva, semen, vaginal secretions, and menstrual blood from healthy Han volunteers [Li et al. DOI:10.1016/j.fsigen.2024.103180]. An earlier human study using RT-qPCR also noted that the miR-658, selected from literature for saliva identification, showed no specific amplification in pooled samples, likely due to methodological differences between TaqMan and SYBR Green assays [Sauer et al. DOI:10.1016/j.fsigen.2016.01.018]. A study in humans using massively parallel sequencing identified the miR-658 as a saliva-specific miRNA, strongly over-expressed in saliva and below detection in blood, making it a promising biomarker for forensic body fluid identification [Wang et al. DOI:10.1016/j.fsigen.2015.10.008]. A subsequent review confirmed the miR-658 is differentially expressed in saliva, highlighting its potential for tissue and body fluid identification in forensic practice [Song et al. DOI:10.1007/s00414-023-03091-1].