Thermostability of ABO(H) blood-group antigens in human teeth

doi:10.1016/0379-0738(78)90123-8

Forensic Science

Volume 11, Issue 1, January–February 1978, Pages 231-239

Forensic Science

https://doi.org/10.1016/0379-0738(78)90123-8 Get rights and content

Abstract

The thermostability of ABO blood-group antigens in human dental pulp is described. The ability of the enamel and dentine to protect the ABO(H) antigens from thermal damage has also been estimated mathematically.

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Cited by (9)

Determining the human origin of fragments of burnt bone: A comparative study of histological, immunological and DNA techniques
1999, Forensic Science International
In situations where badly burnt fragments of bone are found, identification of their human or non-human origin may be impossible by gross morphology alone and other techniques have to be employed. In order to determine whether histological methods were redundant and should be superseded by biomolecular analyses, small fragments of artificially burnt bone (human and non-human) were examined by quantitative and standard light microscopy, and the findings compared with newer biomolecular analyses based on identifying specific human albumin by ELISA and amplifying human mitochondrial DNA by PCR. For quantitative microscopy, reference data were first created using burnt bones from 15 human and 20 common domestic and farm animals. Measured osteon and Haversian canal parameters were analysed using multivariate statistical methods. Highly significant differences were found between values for human and non-human bone, and a canonical discriminant function equation was derived, giving a predicted correct classification of 79%. For the main study, samples of cortical bone were taken from three fresh cadavers, six human skeletons and ten freshly slaughtered animals and burnt by exposure to temperatures ranging from 800 to 1200°C; charred fragments of human cortical bone from two forensic cases were also tested. Quantitative microscopy and canonical discriminant function gave the correct origin of every sample. Standard microscopy falsely assigned burnt bone from one human skeleton and one forensic case to a non-human source, but otherwise gave correct results. Human albumin was identified in five individuals, including one of the forensic cases, but mitochondrial DNA could not be amplified from any of the human bone. No false positive test results were seen with either biomolecular method; and human albumin and mitochondrial DNA were correctly identified in all unburnt control specimens. It was concluded that histological methods were not redundant and that quantitative microscopy provided an accurate and consistent means of determining the human or non-human origin of burnt bone and was more reliable than standard microscopy or the newer immunological and DNA techniques tested here.
Immunological detection of albumin in ancient human cremations using ELISA and monoclonal antibodies
1994, Journal of Archaeological Science
The immunological detection of human albumin in a cremation from the Roman period during a pilot investigation led to studies being carried out to determine (i) whether this protein survived in a significant number of ancient cremations, (ii) its immunological thermostability, and (iii) factors affecting its survival in cremated specimens. All tests were carried out using an extremely sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) employing monoclonal antibodies. In the first investigation, the skeletal remains of 31 cremated individuals from a variety of sites covering a time span of some 3000 years were examined. In the second investigation, ceramic cups containing small samples of human serum were placed in an oven and exposed to increasingly higher temperatures. In the third investigation, a fragment of human tibial condyle and a bovine vertebra were burnt on small funeral pyres built in a manner similar to those used in ancient times. A full range of control specimens was included within each study. Albumin was detected in eight ancient human cremations (26%): six were from the Spong Saxon cemetery, Norfolk (5th-6th centuries AD), one was from the Luni Roman necropolis, Italy (1st century BC-1st century AD) and one was from the iron age necropolis of the Quattro Fontanili, Veio (7th-9th centuries BC). The results of the serum experiment showed that albumin survived for at least 10 min at 300°C, which corresponded to the serum becoming a crisp black layer. No protein was detected in the modern cremated specimens, suggesting that the lack of surrounding soft tissue had resulted in temperatures within the bones of well above 300°C. The control reactions confirmed that there was no cross-reactivity between human and non-human material and that the assay was unaffected by extraneous factors such as the cremation process itself or soil from subsequent burial. It was concluded that the present studies have unequivocally shown that human albumin survives cremation in a number of archaeological specimens, that this protein has a high degree of thermostability and, because of the likelihood of incomplete combustion and the insulating effects of body tissues, that skeletal elements containing albumin could easily have failed to reach 300°C in many ancient cremations. Cremated bone can now be regarded as a valuable source material for biomolecular investigations of ancient populations.
The effects of putrefaction on haptoglobin phenotyping from tooth fragments
1994, Forensic Science International
Tooth fragments freshly extracted from humans were stored for various times and temperatures under both dry and moist conditions. The fragments were reduced to powder and proteins eluted. Purified haptoglobin fractions were separated, detected and phenotyped using the Phast Gel electrophoresis system using gradient gels. Haptoglobin phenotypes were demonstrable but became less detectable as time increased.
Blood groups and enzyme types from human teeth
1993, Journal of the Forensic Science Society
ABO bloodgrouping on tooth material
1991, Forensic Science International
The ABO bloodgroup was determined on the pulp, dentin and enamel of 35 teeth using the adsorption-elution technique. A bloodstained compress from the extraction wound was used as the reference sample. Twenty teeth were examined within 6 weeks after extraction and fifteen teeth were examined 6–10 months after extraction. It was found, that bloodgrouping on pulp gives fairly good results, whereas the possibilities for correct bloodgrouping seem to be limited for dentin and debatable for enamel. Similar results were found in both groups of teeth.
ABO Blood group Detection in Teeth from Cadaver: A Modified Absorption-Elution Technique
2023, Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology

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Thermostability of ABO(H) blood-group antigens in human teeth

Abstract

J. Forensic Sci. Soc.

Identification of burnt victims with the aid of tooth and bone fragments

J. Forensic Med.

Dental identification of fire victims

An identification of the blood group and isoenzymic phenotypes from teeth

Blood group identification from hard dental tissues by elution test

Int. J. Forensic Dent.