机械性窒息死亡(death from mechanical asphyxia，DMA)的精确死因鉴定是法医病理学难点，至今缺乏特异性标志物。除本课题组外，国内、外未见DMA特异性标志物的研究报道。窒息导致机体内环境极度低氧，诱发脑神经细胞与心肌细胞内产生氧化应激反应，导致一系列基因表达水平的变化。本项目拟通过mRNA表达谱芯片和蛋白质谱技术，以缢、勒、扼、闷、捂、溺死为实验组，失血性休克、颅脑损伤、中毒和猝死为对照组，系统检测大鼠及人脑、心组织中的mRNA和胞浆内及线粒体内的蛋白标志物；通过生物信息学分析方法筛选出差异性指标并分析其生物学功能；再经实时荧光定量PCR、双荧光素酶报告基因及蛋白印记等技术验证DMA特异性表达的mRNAs、蛋白分子和microRNAs(前一个项目结果)指标，并进行单盲实验验证。本研究有望为DMA的精确鉴定提供特异性标志物体系并揭示DMA进程的机制。

The precise identication of death from mechanical asphyxia (DMA) is the key and difficult issue in forensic pathological practice due to the absence of specific biomarkers. At present, there are no reports of DMA specific biomarkers at home and abroad (except for our research group). Asphyxia created hypoxia environment which induced oxidative stress of mitochondria in neuron and cardiac cell meanwhile the expression of series of mRNAs and protein changed. We planed to systematically detect the biomarkers of mRNAs(brain and heart tissues of human and rat) and protein in cytoplasm and mitochondria through the technology of expression profile microarray and protein spectrum, using DMA(hanging, strangling, throttling, suffocation, muffling, drowning) as the experimental groups while hemorrhagic shock, craniocerebral injury, intoxication and sudden death as the control groups. Bioinformatics analysis will be used to screen the differentiated markers and analyze their biological functions. Then, specifically expressed mRNAs, microRNA(results of former NSFC) and proteins markers of DMA will be verified by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, dual-luciferase reporter gene and western blot. Finally, the single-blind trials verification was conducted. Our research is expected to provide specific biomarkers for the accurate diagnosis of DMA and to reveal the mechanism of DMA progress.