Initial experience in the application of the PowerQuant™ system and the Investigator® ESSplex SE QS kit for aDNA analysis

Abstract Degradation-related poor quality of ancient DNA from long-time stored biological material (e.g. historical skeletal remains) often leads to a loss of information in molecular genetic characterisation. A new generation of DNA quantification and STR technologies consider mentioned issue by an optimised primer design combined with active master mix components. In this respect, the efficiency of the new PowerQuant™ (Promega) quantification kit and the Investigator ® ESSplex SE QS STR kit (QIAGEN) was tested and analysed. Both analyses tools were evaluated by their applicability to monitor the presence of possible PCR inhibitors and DNA degradation that influences downstream STR analyses and further result interpretation. Characteristic features that reflect mentioned phenomena of both systems where correlated with respect to a combined use in aDNA analyses. Here, especially the Investigator ® ESSplex SE QS kit, which features an intelligent system design comprising both DNA typing and quality control, has shown to be valuable. Some given result interpretation thresholds were adapted with regard to aDNA applicability in forensic case work and anthropological interest.