Specific quantification of human genomes from low copy number DNA samples in forensic and ancient DNA studies.

We reviewed the current methodologies used for human DNA quantitation in forensic and ancient DNA studies, including sensitive hybridization methods based on the detection of nuclear alpha-satellite repetitive DNA regions or more recently developed fluorogenic real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) designs for the detection of both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA regions. Special emphasis has been put on the applicability of recently described different real-time PCR designs targeting different fragments of the HV1 mtDNA control region, and a segment of the X-Y homologous amelogenin gene. The importance of these quantitative assays is to ensure the consistency of low copy number DNA typing (STR profiling and mtDNA sequencing).