SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISMS AND THEIR ROLE IN PREDICTING EARLOBE ATTACHMENT FOR FORENSIC IDENTIFICATION

Abstract

Forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP) has the potential to forecast externally visible characteristics from body fluid specimens, giving valuable leads in criminal investigations where conventional forms of identification are not feasible. The current study was intended to investigate the correlation of seven SNPs under consideration for the current study—rs13397666, rs2080401, rs9866054, rs263156, rs10192049, rs1342722, and rs17023457—with earlobe attachment phenotype (attached or free) in a 300-member Punjabi population sample from Pakistan. Earlobe phenotypes were classified by visual inspection, and genotypic data were examined using SNPStats with codominant, dominant, recessive, over-dominant, and log-additive models of inheritance. The strength of association was expressed as odds ratios (ORs), confidence intervals (CIs), and p-values, the fit of the model being as suggested by Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) values. Unlike other populations, for all the genetic models considered, no statistically significant correlations were obtained between any of the SNPs and earlobe attachment. The findings are indicative of a possible population-specific genetic effect or the role of other, as yet unidentified, variants. The research emphasizes studies' validation of regional phenotypic prediction models and further contributes to the world's understanding of human morphological diversity. Enhanced precision of FDP use in forensic and anthropological practice may be achieved with further study utilizing larger and more inclusive samples, genome-wide investigation, and more specific phenotypic classification.