Advanced DNA testing solves Romanov mystery

DNA ready for testing. Credit: kimbny/flikr

 

Most people love a good mystery.

One of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the 20th century was that of the Romanov family that ruled Russia for more than three centuries. History books state that the Romanov family was killed in 1918 by Bolshevik soldiers during the Russian Revolution. Others claimed that at least one member of the royal family survived. A Polish woman named Anna Anderson convinced many for years that she was the surviving Romanov daughter, Anastasia, and a childrens' movie of the same name further popularized the myth.

Now, a research team lead by scientists from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Rockville, Md., declare in a scientific journal article that they have solved the Romanov mystery once and for all.

No one survived.

The scientists used highly sensitive DNA analysis to compare the remains of known members of the family found in 1991 with remains of two unidentified individuals, determined through forensic evidence to be a teenage boy and a girl, unearthed in 2007.

To prove that the children found in the 2007 grave were related to the czarina and other daughters found in the 1991 grave, the scientists looked at mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). We carry genetic information of both our parents, but only mtDNA passes through the mother to subsequent generations. Companies who help people trace their heritage use maternal lineage testing of with mtDNA because the genetic fingerprinting results linking you to your mother are reportedly very reliable.

Next, the team had to show that the individuals found in 2007 were close relatives or possibly siblings. For this, they used a test called autosomal STR (short tandem repeat) DNA testing. These tests showed a sharing of many common gene variants, or alleles, among the chromosomes of each teen, making the probability that they were brother and sister very high.

Finally, Y-STR testing, which looks at short tandem repeats found only on the (male) Y-chromosome, compared the genetic profile of DNA extracted from a tooth of the czar found in 1991 to that from the leg bone of the teenage boy found in 2007. The paternal lineage test revealed exact matches in the same locations for the genetic profiles for father and son.

Using mere fragments of highly degraded DNA, the scientists in this study were able to perform amazing feats of genetic detective work. I find it somewhat sad that a good story like that of the mysterious fate of the royal Romanov family has been laid to rest by cold laboratory analysis. But let’s hope that we take away bigger lessons about how these advanced DNA analysis tools can be used to solve the more pressing genetic mysteries that we encounter today.