Hello Carpenter Cousins,
A most intriguing article went on line yesterday that has some interesting Law Enforcement
twists. Imagine taking a CODIS type DNA test and finding your DNA mixed with another. Or
that a part of your body has another person’s DNA.
I want to thank Alana Carpenter for bringing this article to my attention!
Side note: The person mentioned in the article volunteered his DNA samples because he does
forensic work for Law Enforcement. There is no invasion of privacy rights and his case is
part of a Law Enforcement research project.
I have been aware of bone marrow recipients having blood type classification changes, and
mixed amounts of donor DNA in their blood samples. But the article cited below shows
that, at least in this case, the implications of donor DNA over riding and becoming
dominant in certain portions of the recipient’s body is startling. In this specific case,
his semen.
This is supposed to be impossible. But, we are finding the occasional exception when
dealing with DNA!
I am aware of certain chromosomal damages that can confound paternity type tests. One
famous case in Seattle, Washington State, USA, about two decades ago, showed that a mother
was not the biological mother of her children, but the father’s mother was the biological
mother. While very rare, I believe there has been about five such cases found since. That
case is briefly mentioned in the article.
See more about that case at:
https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/shes-twin/story?id=2315693
For Law Enforcement, finding mixed DNA at crime scenes is nothing new. They expect it to
happen as part of the investigation. But, they assume that there is two donors and not
just one chimera providing the mixed DNA sample. It has confounded Law Enforcement in the
past as the article has mentioned.
See related article at:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/dna-at-the-fringes-twins-chimerism-and-synt... – this
article is extracted from the book:
‘Inside the Cell: The Dark Side of Forensic DNA’ - Hardcover – October 6, 2015 - by Erin
E. Murphy (Author).
https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Cell-Dark-Side-Forensic/dp/1568584695/?crea...
But, as this article shows having both DNA paternity and possibly another DNA become
dominant in say the cheeks makes this case more interesting. I remember that the human
body when young renews itself about every seven years and less so after we get past a
certain age. This slowing of replacement cells contributes to us aging.
It would be very interesting to has the person mentioned in the article to retest say
after seven, ten and fourteen years after the bone marrow transplant date. I wonder if
the trend toward DNA replacement in his body will continue or maybe not? It would be an
interesting study!
Let me quote one paragraph of the article here:
‘Everyone who has reviewed Mr. Long’s case agrees on one thing: He is a living, breathing
case study of one, and it’s impossible to say how many other people respond to bone marrow
transplants the same way he did. It’s simply one of those curious possibilities that
forensic analysts may want to consider when DNA results are not adding up.’
Life is amazing!
John R. Carpenter
La Mesa, CA USA
Carpenter Cousins Project - Our main support page!
https://carpentercousins.com
When a DNA Test Says You’re a Younger Man, Who Lives 5,000 Miles Away
By Heather Murphy - 7 Dec 2019 - New York Times
Three months after his bone marrow transplant, Chris Long of Reno, Nev., learned that the
DNA in his blood had changed. It had all been replaced by the DNA of his donor, a German
man he had exchanged just a handful of messages with.
He’d been encouraged to test his blood by a colleague at the Sheriff’s Office, where he
worked. She had an inkling this might happen. It’s the goal of the procedure, after all:
Weak blood is replaced by healthy blood, and with it, the DNA it contains.
But four years after his lifesaving procedure, it was not only Mr. Long’s blood that was
affected. Swabs of his lips and cheeks contained his DNA — but also that of his donor.
Even more surprising to Mr. Long and other colleagues at the crime lab, all of the DNA in
his semen belonged to his donor. “I thought that it was pretty incredible that I can
disappear and someone else can appear,” he said.
Mr. Long had become a chimera, the technical term for the rare person with two sets of
DNA. ...
More at:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/techandscience/when-a-dna-test-says-youre-...
Original article from: The New York Times:
https://apple.news/AFw2GKwlkTy6E-6AOrpVYfQ