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. 2024 Jan 2:8:100450.
doi: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2023.100450. eCollection 2024.

Comparing Walker's (2008) skull trait sex estimation standard to proteomic sex estimation for a group of South Asian individuals

Laura M Rogers  1 , Siân E Halcrow  1 , Torsten Kleffmann  2 , Charlotte L King  1
Affiliations

Comparing Walker's (2008) skull trait sex estimation standard to proteomic sex estimation for a group of South Asian individuals

Laura M Rogers et al. Forensic Sci Int Synerg. .

Abstract

This research assesses the potential for misidentification of sex in individuals of South Asian ancestry using the Walker (2008) morphological skull sex estimation standard [1]. Chromosomal sex was assessed using proteomic analysis targeting sex chromosome-specific amylogenic peptides. Results showed that the Walker method produced incorrect classification for 36.7 % of individuals. Overwhelmingly, those incorrectly assigned were chromosomally male. Misidentification was due to males within the group having lower trait scores (i.e., more gracile traits) than the standard would predict. There was also a high level of overlap in trait scores between male and females indicating reduced expression of sexual dimorphism. The use of established multivariate statistical techniques improved accuracy of sex estimation in some cases, but larger osteological data sets from South Asian individuals are required to develop population-specific standards. We suggest that peptide analysis may provide a useful tool for the forensic anthropologist when assessing sex in populations without population specific osteological standards.

Keywords: Forensic anthropology; Population variation; Sex estimation; Sexual dimorphism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Extracted ion chromatograms of fragment ions y5 at m/z 645.372 (pink) for SMIRPPY (Y chromosome-linked) and b6 at m/z 714.393 (blue) for SIRPPYPSY (X chromosome-linked) in sample 41 (right) and sample 44 (left). Sample 44 is male, while sample 41 is female. Blue arrow indicates the intensity threshold for annotating peaks. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Extracted ion chromatograms at m/z 440.22 (pink) for SMIRPPY (Y chromosome-liked) 540.28 (blue) for SIRPPYPSY (X chromosome-linked) in sample 7 (left) and sample 44 (right). Both individuals were excluded from further analysis as peptide intensity is low. Blue arrow indicates the intensity threshold for annotating peaks. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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