RNA has received m ore attention in the field of forensic m edicine and the developm ent of the new biological m arkers based on RNA show s great significance in the analysis of com plex cases. circular RNA (circRNA ) is a kind of non-coding RNA w hich is w idely reported recently. A lthough the regulatory m echanism s of generation and expression are not fully clear, the existing research indicates that circRNA has im portant biological functions. C ircRNA has a cell-type-specific expression w ith great stability and a high expression level, w hich m akes it m eaningful in forensic applications potentially. In this paper, the research progress, the generation and regulation of circRNA as w ell as its biological characteristics and functions are sum m arized, w hich w ill provide references for related studies and foren-sic applications.

Objective To explore the change rules of peak area ratio of STR loci to Amelogenin (AMEL) locus (STR/A M EL ), a sex-determ ining gene in DNA degradation, and to evaluate the application of STR/A MEL value in the estim ation of DNA degradation degree. Methods DNA w as extracted from iliopsoas, and the variations of STR/A MEL value (Penta E/AMEL, Penta D/AMEL, FGA/AMEL) w ere analyzed after the artificial degradation w as m ade by DNaseⅠ, and the changes of these three ratios of the iliopsoas naturally degraded in an outdoor environm ent w ere also analyzed. The regression curves w ere analyzed using the periods of DNA degradation and outside the body as the independent variable (x) and the STR/A MEL value as the dependent variable (y) and three curve equations under tw o conditions w ere established. Results B oth under the conditions of artificial and natural degradation, STR/A MEL value had a negative relationship w ith the degradation tim e. The relationship betw een STR/A MEL and degradation tim e can be w ell sim ulated by the cubic function. R2 w as over 0.99 under controlled degradation condition and over 0.86 under natural degradation condition. Conclusion The STR/A MEL value (Penta E/AMEL, Penta D/AMEL , FGA/AMEL ) is negatively related w ith the DNA degradation degree, w hich follow s m athem atical regression m odels strictly, and it m ight be applied to evaluate the DNA degradation degree.

DNA typing of biological samples is an important step in performing individual identification and paternity testing in forensic applications. In practice, the detection of complex biological samples and the identification of complex kinships are challenging current biological technologies. Novel DNA technologies are also introduced into forensic genetics to improve the power of analysis. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has several advantages, such as high-throughput and low cost, and can obtain detailed DNA sequences and relative contents of targeted regions, which will improve the detection of biological samples to help the analysis of forensic cases. The application of NGS in forensic genetics has received extensive attention and reports on the application of NGS in forensic genetics are increasing. In this study, we summarized the progress in the application research of NGS in the forensic genetics including the detection of genetic markers and their analytical methods. This will provide guides for related studies and forensic applications.