DNA from hair folicles

[irenych]

My wife and I would be keen to have a DNA analysis (Y,mt,auto) of her deceased father. Unfortunately, very little survives (he was cremated) except for five hair folicles taken from the inside of a coat. Would this be enough, or must we just let it go?

[tomcat]

I have read of a researcher extracting DNA from hair. He also wrote that the tricky bit is removing the keratin sheath and that keratin seemed to preserve DNA well ... that hair was a good source of DNA.

You might ask FTDNA as they may do it or know of a lab that could do it.

[nathanm]

The technology for recovering DNA from human remains keeps getting better, but it's still incredibly expensive, and there's no guarantee they'd be able to extract a usable DNA sample. For that reason, it's mostly relegated to well-funded archaeological research or forensic investigations. You'd probably be better off identifying another paternal relative for Y-DNA and maternal relative for mtDNA.

[mkdexter]

My wife and I would be keen to have a DNA analysis (Y,mt,auto) of her deceased father. Unfortunately, very little survives (he was cremated) except for five hair folicles taken from the inside of a coat. Would this be enough, or must we just let it go?

The straightforward answer as far as FTNDA's lab: No it is not enough.

Matt.

[irenych]

The straightforward answer as far as FTNDA's lab: No it is not enough.

Matt.

Thank you. And thanks to tomcat and nathan too. I suppose the licked underside of a stamp on an envelope (if we could find one) would also be not enough or too expensive. We'll see about hunting down a relative. Too bad about the autosomal though.

[nathanm]

Thank you. And thanks to tomcat and nathan too. I suppose the licked underside of a stamp on an envelope (if we could find one) would also be not enough or too expensive. We'll see about hunting down a relative. Too bad about the autosomal though.

All is not lost though. It's best to have the oldest living generation take an autosomal DNA test, but your wife still inherited half from her father. If she has any siblings, you could represent even more of his autosomal DNA. Of course, if her father has any surviving siblings, that would be equivalent to him testing (and they could test mtDNA, and Y-DNA if brothers).

[irenych]

That's great Nathan! She does have a sister. And while there are no known surviving uncles, there are a few cousins. I'll get started with the correspondence. Thanks again!

[econnore]

I agree with testing the spouse for autosomal but I'd preserve the five hairs for future analysis. I've seen incredible developments in my lifetime. You never know what is going to be possible in a few years' time. I regret not saving hair samples from my parents because they both had beautiful, thick hair. Some families have mourning wreaths and other mementoes made of hair, and just imagine the genetic details those materials might yield.

There might be enough DNA on the collar of the overcoat. Not enough for FTDNA but for the future.

[Brunetmj]

I'd preserve the five hairs for future analysis. I've seen incredible developments in my lifetime.

I think the main reasons for hair being extremely difficult to test is twofold. One is to little DNA and the other is contamination. If it is to preserved for future testing it is best to store it in a way that resists any more contamination. I would suggest researching that.