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Özdoğan KT, Gelabert P, Hammers N, Altınışık NE, de Groot A, Plets G. Archaeology meets environmental genomics: implementing sedaDNA in the study of the human past. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2024; 16:108. [PMID: 38948161 PMCID: PMC11213777 DOI: 10.1007/s12520-024-01999-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) has become one of the standard applications in the field of paleogenomics in recent years. It has been used for paleoenvironmental reconstructions, detecting the presence of prehistoric species in the absence of macro remains and even investigating the evolutionary history of a few species. However, its application in archaeology has been limited and primarily focused on humans. This article argues that sedaDNA holds significant potential in addressing key archaeological questions concerning the origins, lifestyles, and environments of past human populations. Our aim is to facilitate the integration of sedaDNA into the standard workflows in archaeology as a transformative tool, thereby unleashing its full potential for studying the human past. Ultimately, we not only underscore the challenges inherent in the sedaDNA field but also provide a research agenda for essential enhancements needed for implementing sedaDNA into the archaeological workflow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kadir Toykan Özdoğan
- Department of History and Art History, Utrecht University, Drift 6, Utrecht, 3512 BS Netherlands
- Animal Ecology, Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O box 47, Wageningen, Gelderland 6700 AA The Netherlands
| | - Pere Gelabert
- Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, Vienna, 1030 Austria
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, Vienna, 1030 Austria
| | - Neeke Hammers
- Environmental Archaeology, ADC ArcheoProjecten, Nijverheidsweg-Noord 114, Amersfoort, Utrecht, 3812 PN Netherlands
| | - N. Ezgi Altınışık
- Human-G Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, 06800 Türkiye
| | - Arjen de Groot
- Animal Ecology, Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O box 47, Wageningen, Gelderland 6700 AA The Netherlands
| | - Gertjan Plets
- Department of History and Art History, Utrecht University, Drift 6, Utrecht, 3512 BS Netherlands
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2
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Bergfeldt N, Kırdök E, Oskolkov N, Mirabello C, Unneberg P, Malmström H, Fraser M, Sanchez-Quinto F, Jorgensen R, Skar B, Lidén K, Jakobsson M, Storå J, Götherström A. Identification of microbial pathogens in Neolithic Scandinavian humans. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5630. [PMID: 38453993 PMCID: PMC10920878 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56096-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
With the Neolithic transition, human lifestyle shifted from hunting and gathering to farming. This change altered subsistence patterns, cultural expression, and population structures as shown by the archaeological/zooarchaeological record, as well as by stable isotope and ancient DNA data. Here, we used metagenomic data to analyse if the transitions also impacted the microbiome composition in 25 Mesolithic and Neolithic hunter-gatherers and 13 Neolithic farmers from several Scandinavian Stone Age cultural contexts. Salmonella enterica, a bacterium that may have been the cause of death for the infected individuals, was found in two Neolithic samples from Battle Axe culture contexts. Several species of the bacterial genus Yersinia were found in Neolithic individuals from Funnel Beaker culture contexts as well as from later Neolithic context. Transmission of e.g. Y. enterocolitica may have been facilitated by the denser populations in agricultural contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Bergfeldt
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Emrah Kırdök
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey
| | - Nikolay Oskolkov
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Biology, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Claudio Mirabello
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Per Unneberg
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Helena Malmström
- Human Evolution, Department of Organism Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Magdalena Fraser
- Human Evolution, Department of Organism Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Roger Jorgensen
- Tromsø University Museum, University of Tromsø-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Birgitte Skar
- Department of Archaeology and Cultural History, NTNU University Museum, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Kerstin Lidén
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mattias Jakobsson
- Human Evolution, Department of Organism Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jan Storå
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anders Götherström
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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3
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Forshaw R. Windows into the past: recent scientific techniques in dental analysis. Br Dent J 2024; 236:205-211. [PMID: 38332093 PMCID: PMC10853062 DOI: 10.1038/s41415-024-7053-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Teeth are the hardest and most chemically stable tissues in the body, are well-preserved in archaeological remains and, being resistant to decomposition in the soil, survive long after their supporting structures have deteriorated. It has long been recognised that visual and radiographic examination of teeth can provide considerable information relating to the lifestyle of an individual. This paper examines the latest scientific approaches that have become available to investigate recent and ancient teeth. These techniques include DNA analysis, which can be used to determine the sex of an individual, indicate familial relationships, study population movements, provide phylogenetic information and identify the presence of disease pathogens. A stable isotopic approach can shed light on aspects of diet and mobility and even research climate change. Proteomic analysis of ancient dental calculus can reveal specific information about individual diets. Synchrotron microcomputed tomography is a non-invasive technique which can be used to visualise physiological impactful events, such as parturition, menopause and diseases in cementum microstructure - these being displayed as aberrant growth lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger Forshaw
- KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Stopford Building, Oxford Road, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
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4
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Ķimsis J, Pokšāne A, Kazarina A, Vilcāne A, Petersone‐Gordina E, Zayakin P, Gerhards G, Ranka R. Tracing microbial communities associated with archaeological human samples in Latvia, 7-11th centuries AD. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2023; 15:383-391. [PMID: 37057308 PMCID: PMC10472514 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.13157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
In the grave environment, microorganisms are major ecological participants in the successional decomposition of vertebrates and could infiltrate the skeleton/skeletal material during taphonomic processes. The diversity of archaeological skeleton-associated microbial assemblages and the impact of various factors are poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the taxonomic microbial composition of archaeological human bone and teeth samples from the 7th to 11th centuries AD from two burial sites in Latvia. Samples were analysed by a shotgun metagenomics-based approach. The results showed a strong presence of the environmental DNA in the samples, and variability in microbial community structure between individual samples. Differences in microbial composition were observed between bone and tooth samples, as well as between different burial sites. Furthermore, the presence of endogenous ancient DNA (aDNA) in tooth samples was detected. Overall, compositions of microbial communities associated with archaeological human remains in Latvia dated 7-11th century AD were influenced by the sample type and burial location. These findings indicate that, while the content of historical DNA in archaeological samples is low, the comparison of archaeological skeleton-associated microbial assemblages across time and space, along with aDNA damage profile analysis, is important and could help to reveal putative ancient microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jānis Ķimsis
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study CentreLaboratory of molecular microbiologyRigaLatvia
| | - Alise Pokšāne
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study CentreLaboratory of molecular microbiologyRigaLatvia
| | - Alisa Kazarina
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study CentreLaboratory of molecular microbiologyRigaLatvia
| | | | | | - Pawel Zayakin
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study CentreLaboratory of molecular microbiologyRigaLatvia
| | | | - Renate Ranka
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study CentreLaboratory of molecular microbiologyRigaLatvia
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Clavel P, Louis L, Sarkissian CD, Thèves C, Gillet C, Chauvey L, Tressières G, Schiavinato S, Calvière-Tonasso L, Telmon N, Clavel B, Jonvel R, Tzortzis S, Bouniol L, Fémolant JM, Klunk J, Poinar H, Signoli M, Costedoat C, Spyrou MA, Seguin-Orlando A, Orlando L. Improving the extraction of ancient Yersinia pestis genomes from the dental pulp. iScience 2023; 26:106787. [PMID: 37250315 PMCID: PMC10214834 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Ancient DNA preserved in the dental pulp offers the opportunity to characterize the genome of some of the deadliest pathogens in human history. However, while DNA capture technologies help, focus sequencing efforts, and therefore, reduce experimental costs, the recovery of ancient pathogen DNA remains challenging. Here, we tracked the kinetics of ancient Yersinia pestis DNA release in solution during a pre-digestion of the dental pulp. We found that most of the ancient Y. pestis DNA is released within 60 min at 37°C in our experimental conditions. We recommend a simple pre-digestion as an economical procedure to obtain extracts enriched in ancient pathogen DNA, as longer digestion times release other types of templates, including host DNA. Combining this procedure with DNA capture, we characterized the genome sequences of 12 ancient Y. pestis bacteria from France dating to the second pandemic outbreaks of the 17th and 18th centuries Common Era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Clavel
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Lexane Louis
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Clio Der Sarkissian
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Catherine Thèves
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Claudia Gillet
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Lorelei Chauvey
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Gaétan Tressières
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Stéphanie Schiavinato
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Laure Calvière-Tonasso
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Norbert Telmon
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Benoît Clavel
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements (AASPE), CNRS-UMR7209, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, 55 Rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Richard Jonvel
- Amiens Métropole Service Archéologie Préventive, 2 rue Colbert, 80000 Amiens, France
| | - Stéfan Tzortzis
- Service Régional de l’Archéologie, 21 allée Claude Forbin, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Laetitia Bouniol
- Service archéologique de la ville de Beauvais, 1 rue Desgroux, 60021 Beauvais, France
| | - Jean-Marc Fémolant
- Service archéologique de la ville de Beauvais, 1 rue Desgroux, 60021 Beauvais, France
| | | | - Hendrik Poinar
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Departments of Anthropology, Biology and Biochemistry, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L9, Canada
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute of Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S, 4L9, Canada
- Humans and the Microbiome Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michel Signoli
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, EFS, ADES, 13005 Marseille, France
| | | | - Maria A. Spyrou
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andaine Seguin-Orlando
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Ludovic Orlando
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
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6
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Rifkin RF, Vikram S, Alcorta J, Ramond JB, Cowan DA, Jakobsson M, Schlebusch CM, Lombard M. Rickettsia felis DNA recovered from a child who lived in southern Africa 2000 years ago. Commun Biol 2023; 6:240. [PMID: 36869137 PMCID: PMC9984395 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04582-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The Stone Age record of South Africa provides some of the earliest evidence for the biological and cultural origins of Homo sapiens. While there is extensive genomic evidence for the selection of polymorphisms in response to pathogen-pressure in sub-Saharan Africa, e.g., the sickle cell trait which provides protection against malaria, there is inadequate direct human genomic evidence for ancient human-pathogen infection in the region. Here, we analysed shotgun metagenome libraries derived from the sequencing of a Later Stone Age hunter-gatherer child who lived near Ballito Bay, South Africa, c. 2000 years ago. This resulted in the identification of ancient DNA sequence reads homologous to Rickettsia felis, the causative agent of typhus-like flea-borne rickettsioses, and the reconstruction of an ancient R. felis genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riaan F Rifkin
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa.
- Department of Anthropology and Geography, Human Origins and Palaeoenvironmental Research Group, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.
| | - Surendra Vikram
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Jaime Alcorta
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jean-Baptiste Ramond
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology and Geography, Human Origins and Palaeoenvironmental Research Group, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Don A Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Mattias Jakobsson
- Department of Organismal Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen, Uppsala, Sweden
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
- SciLifeLab, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Carina M Schlebusch
- Department of Organismal Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen, Uppsala, Sweden
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa
- SciLifeLab, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marlize Lombard
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa.
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de-Dios T, Scheib CL, Houldcroft CJ. An Adagio for Viruses, Played Out on Ancient DNA. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad047. [PMID: 36930529 PMCID: PMC10063219 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of ancient DNA have transformed our understanding of human evolution. Paleogenomics can also reveal historic and prehistoric agents of disease, including endemic, epidemic, and pandemic pathogens. Viruses-and in particular those with single- or double-stranded DNA genomes-are an important part of the paleogenomic revolution, preserving within some remains or environmental samples for tens of thousands of years. The results of these studies capture the public imagination, as well as giving scientists a unique perspective on some of the more slowly evolving viruses which cause disease. In this review, we revisit the first studies of historical virus genetic material in the 1990s, through to the genomic revolution of recent years. We look at how paleogenomics works for viral pathogens, such as the need for careful precautions against modern contamination and robust computational pipelines to identify and analyze authenticated viral sequences. We discuss the insights into virus evolution which have been gained through paleogenomics, concentrating on three DNA viruses in particular: parvovirus B19, herpes simplex virus 1, and smallpox. As we consider recent worldwide transmission of monkeypox and synthetic biology tools that allow the potential reconstruction of extinct viruses, we show that studying historical and ancient virus evolution has never been more topical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni de-Dios
- Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Christiana L Scheib
- Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Estonia
- St. John's College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Paica IC, Rusu I, Popescu O, Brînzan A, Pencea I, Dobrinescu C, Kelemen B. Tentative indicators of malaria in archaeological skeletal samples, a pilot study testing different methods. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2023; 40:109-116. [PMID: 36724549 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study attempts to integrate multiple methods to investigate the presence of malaria in human skeletal samples from an archaeological context. MATERIALS 33 well preserved human remains originating from a 17th-century archaeological site in southeastern Romania. METHODS The human bone samples were analyzed using rapid diagnostic tests for malaria antigens and PCR amplification of Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1. A preliminary test was performed to identify and briefly characterize the presence of hemozoin using a combination of TEM imaging and diffraction. RESULTS The rapid diagnostic tests indicated that more than half of the examined samples were positive for Plasmodium antigens, but no traces of the parasites' genetic material were detected despite repeated attempts. The TEM images indicated that hemozoin might be a promising diagnostic marker of malaria in ancient bones. CONCLUSIONS The indisputable identification of malaria in the analyzed archaeological population was not possible as none of the applied methodological strategies turned out to be straightforward. SIGNIFICANCE This study reinforces the intricacy and limitations of unequivocally identifying malaria in past populations and sets the stage for future studies on such life-threatening infectious disease in a geographical space, which is currently underrepresented in the bioarchaeological literature. LIMITATIONS The low sample size and the lack of consistency across all assays hindered understanding the role of malaria in the studied population. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Further thorough multidisciplinary approaches on malaria detection in ancient settlements would be appropriate to inform our knowledge of its origins, frequency, and pathogen changes over centuries.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ioana Rusu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, 400006, Romania; Molecular Biology Centre, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, 400271, Romania.
| | - Octavian Popescu
- Institute of Biology Bucharest of Romanian Academy, Bucharest, 060031, Romania; Molecular Biology Centre, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, 400271, Romania; Emil G. Racoviță Institute, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, 400006, Romania
| | - Alexandru Brînzan
- Institute of Biology Bucharest of Romanian Academy, Bucharest, 060031, Romania
| | - Ion Pencea
- Department of Metallic Material Science and Physical Metallurgy, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Bucharest, 060042, Romania
| | - Cătălin Dobrinescu
- Department of Research-Development and Projects, Museum of National History and Archaeology, Constanţa, 900745, Romania
| | - Beatrice Kelemen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, 400006, Romania; Molecular Biology Centre, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, 400271, Romania
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9
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Andreeva TV, Malyarchuk AB, Soshkina AD, Dudko NA, Plotnikova MY, Rogaev EI. Methodologies for Ancient DNA Extraction from Bones for Genomic Analysis: Approaches and Guidelines. RUSS J GENET+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1022795422090034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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10
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Bioarchaeological and palaeogenomic portrait of two Pompeians that died during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6468. [PMID: 35618734 PMCID: PMC9135728 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10899-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The archaeological site of Pompeii is one of the 54 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy, thanks to its uniqueness: the town was completely destroyed and buried by a Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 AD. In this work, we present a multidisciplinary approach with bioarchaeological and palaeogenomic analyses of two Pompeian human remains from the Casa del Fabbro. We have been able to characterize the genetic profile of the first Pompeian’ genome, which has strong affinities with the surrounding central Italian population from the Roman Imperial Age. Our findings suggest that, despite the extensive connection between Rome and other Mediterranean populations, a noticeable degree of genetic homogeneity exists in the Italian peninsula at that time. Moreover, palaeopathological analyses identified the presence of spinal tuberculosis and we further investigated the presence of ancient DNA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the power of a combined approach to investigate ancient humans and confirms the possibility to retrieve ancient DNA from Pompeii human remains. Our initial findings provide a foundation to promote an intensive and extensive paleogenetic analysis in order to reconstruct the genetic history of population from Pompeii, a unique archaeological site.
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11
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Zacho CM, Bager MA, Margaryan A, Gravlund P, Galatius A, Rasmussen AR, Allentoft ME. Uncovering the genomic and metagenomic research potential in old ethanol-preserved snakes. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256353. [PMID: 34424926 PMCID: PMC8382189 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural history museum collections worldwide represent a tremendous resource of information on past and present biodiversity. Fish, reptiles, amphibians and many invertebrate collections have often been preserved in ethanol for decades or centuries and our knowledge on the genomic and metagenomic research potential of such material is limited. Here, we use ancient DNA protocols, combined with shotgun sequencing to test the molecular preservation in liver, skin and bone tissue from five old (1842 to 1964) museum specimens of the common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). When mapping reads to a T. sirtalis reference genome, we find that the DNA molecules are highly damaged with short average sequence lengths (38-64 bp) and high C-T deamination, ranging from 9% to 21% at the first position. Despite this, the samples displayed relatively high endogenous DNA content, ranging from 26% to 56%, revealing that genome-scale analyses are indeed possible from all specimens and tissues included here. Of the three tested types of tissue, bone shows marginally but significantly higher DNA quality in these metrics. Though at least one of the snakes had been exposed to formalin, neither the concentration nor the quality of the obtained DNA was affected. Lastly, we demonstrate that these specimens display a diverse and tissue-specific microbial genetic profile, thus offering authentic metagenomic data despite being submerged in ethanol for many years. Our results emphasize that historical museum collections continue to offer an invaluable source of information in the era of genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus M. Zacho
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martina A. Bager
- Section for EvoGenomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ashot Margaryan
- Section for EvoGenomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Anders Galatius
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Arne R. Rasmussen
- Institute of Conservation, Royal Danish Academy—Architecture, Design, Conservation, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten E. Allentoft
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
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Seguin-Orlando A, Costedoat C, Der Sarkissian C, Tzortzis S, Kamel C, Telmon N, Dalén L, Thèves C, Signoli M, Orlando L. No particular genomic features underpin the dramatic economic consequences of 17 th century plague epidemics in Italy. iScience 2021; 24:102383. [PMID: 33981971 PMCID: PMC8082092 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The 17th century plague epidemic had a particularly strong demographic toll in Southern Europe, especially Italy, where it caused long-lasting economical damage. Whether this resulted from ineffective sanitation measures or more pathogenic Yersinia pestis strains remains unknown. DNA screening of 26 skeletons from the 1629-1630 plague cemetery of Lariey (French Alps) identified two teeth rich in plague genetic material. Further sequencing revealed two Y. pestis genomes phylogenetically closest to those from the 1636 outbreak of San Procolo a Naturno, Italy. They both belonged to a cluster extending from the Alps to Northern Germany that probably propagated during the Thirty Years war. Sequence variation did not support faster evolutionary rates in the Italian genomes and revealed only rare private non-synonymous mutations not affecting virulence genes. This, and the more heterogeneous spatial diffusion of the epidemic outside Italy, suggests environmental or social rather than biological causes for the severe Italian epidemic trajectory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andaine Seguin-Orlando
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse CAGT, UMR 5288, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Bâtiment A, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France.,Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse IAST, Université Toulouse I Capitole, Esplanade de l'Université, 31080 Toulouse cedex 06, France
| | - Caroline Costedoat
- Anthropologie bio-culturelle, droit, éthique et santé ADES, UMR 7268 CNRS EFS, Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté de Médecine, Secteur Nord Bâtiment A CS80011, Boulevard Pierre Dramard, 13344 Marseille Cedex 15, France
| | - Clio Der Sarkissian
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse CAGT, UMR 5288, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Bâtiment A, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Stéfan Tzortzis
- Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles de PACA, Service Régional de l'Archéologie, 23 bd du Roi René, 13617 Aix-en-Provence cedex, France
| | - Célia Kamel
- Anthropologie bio-culturelle, droit, éthique et santé ADES, UMR 7268 CNRS EFS, Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté de Médecine, Secteur Nord Bâtiment A CS80011, Boulevard Pierre Dramard, 13344 Marseille Cedex 15, France
| | - Norbert Telmon
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse CAGT, UMR 5288, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Bâtiment A, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Love Dalén
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Catherine Thèves
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse CAGT, UMR 5288, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Bâtiment A, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Michel Signoli
- Anthropologie bio-culturelle, droit, éthique et santé ADES, UMR 7268 CNRS EFS, Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté de Médecine, Secteur Nord Bâtiment A CS80011, Boulevard Pierre Dramard, 13344 Marseille Cedex 15, France
| | - Ludovic Orlando
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse CAGT, UMR 5288, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Bâtiment A, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
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13
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Harney É, Cheronet O, Fernandes DM, Sirak K, Mah M, Bernardos R, Adamski N, Broomandkhoshbacht N, Callan K, Lawson AM, Oppenheimer J, Stewardson K, Zalzala F, Anders A, Candilio F, Constantinescu M, Coppa A, Ciobanu I, Dani J, Gallina Z, Genchi F, Nagy EG, Hajdu T, Hellebrandt M, Horváth A, Király Á, Kiss K, Kolozsi B, Kovács P, Köhler K, Lucci M, Pap I, Popovici S, Raczky P, Simalcsik A, Szeniczey T, Vasilyev S, Virag C, Rohland N, Reich D, Pinhasi R. A minimally destructive protocol for DNA extraction from ancient teeth. Genome Res 2021; 31:472-483. [PMID: 33579752 PMCID: PMC7919446 DOI: 10.1101/gr.267534.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Ancient DNA sampling methods-although optimized for efficient DNA extraction-are destructive, relying on drilling or cutting and powdering (parts of) bones and teeth. As the field of ancient DNA has grown, so have concerns about the impact of destructive sampling of the skeletal remains from which ancient DNA is obtained. Due to a particularly high concentration of endogenous DNA, the cementum of tooth roots is often targeted for ancient DNA sampling, but destructive sampling methods of the cementum often result in the loss of at least one entire root. Here, we present a minimally destructive method for extracting ancient DNA from dental cementum present on the surface of tooth roots. This method does not require destructive drilling or grinding, and, following extraction, the tooth remains safe to handle and suitable for most morphological studies, as well as other biochemical studies, such as radiocarbon dating. We extracted and sequenced ancient DNA from 30 teeth (and nine corresponding petrous bones) using this minimally destructive extraction method in addition to a typical tooth sampling method. We find that the minimally destructive method can provide ancient DNA that is of comparable quality to extracts produced from teeth that have undergone destructive sampling processes. Further, we find that a rigorous cleaning of the tooth surface combining diluted bleach and UV light irradiation seems sufficient to minimize external contaminants usually removed through the physical removal of a superficial layer when sampling through regular powdering methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Éadaoin Harney
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- The Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA and Jena D-07745, Germany
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Olivia Cheronet
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Daniel M Fernandes
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
- CIAS, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Kendra Sirak
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Matthew Mah
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Rebecca Bernardos
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Nicole Adamski
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Nasreen Broomandkhoshbacht
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Kimberly Callan
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Ann Marie Lawson
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Jonas Oppenheimer
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Kristin Stewardson
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Fatma Zalzala
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Alexandra Anders
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, 1088 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Francesca Candilio
- Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the City of Cagliari and the Provinces of Oristano and South Sardinia, 09121 Cagliari, Italy
| | | | - Alfredo Coppa
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Ion Ciobanu
- Cultural-Natural Reserve "Orheiul Vechi", 3552 Orhei, Republic of Moldova
- Institute of Bioarchaeological and Ethnocultural Research, 2012 Chișinău, Republic of Moldova
| | | | - Zsolt Gallina
- Ásatárs Kulturális, Régészeti Szolgáltató és Kereskedelmi Limited, 6000 Kecskemét, Hungary
| | - Francesco Genchi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Tamás Hajdu
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1171 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | | | | | - Ágnes Király
- Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for the Humanities, 1097 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krisztián Kiss
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1171 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | | | | | - Kitti Köhler
- Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for the Humanities, 1097 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Michaela Lucci
- Department of History, Anthropology, Religion, Arts and Performing Arts, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Ildikó Pap
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Sergiu Popovici
- National Agency for Archaeology, 2012 Chișinău, Republic of Moldova
| | - Pál Raczky
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, 1088 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Angela Simalcsik
- Institute of Bioarchaeological and Ethnocultural Research, 2012 Chișinău, Republic of Moldova
- Olga Necrasov Center for Anthropological Research, Romanian Academy, 700481 Iasi, Romania
| | - Tamás Szeniczey
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1171 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Sergey Vasilyev
- Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Center for Egyptological Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Nadin Rohland
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - David Reich
- The Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA and Jena D-07745, Germany
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Ron Pinhasi
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
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14
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El-Sayed A, Kamel M. Future threat from the past. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:1287-1291. [PMID: 33068243 PMCID: PMC7567650 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11234-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Global warming is one of the major challenges facing humanity. The increase in the Earth's temperature and thawing of ancient ice release viable viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms which were trapped for thousands and millions of years. Such microorganisms may belong to novel microbial species, unknown genotypes of present pathogens, already eradicated pathogens, or even known pathogens that gained extremely robust characteristics due to their subjection to long-term stress. These worries drew more attention following the death of a child by ancient anthrax spores in Siberian in 2016 and the reconstruction of smallpox and Spanish flu genomes from ancient frozen biological samples. The present review illustrates some examples of recently recovered pathogens after being buried for millions of years, including some identified viable ancient viruses, bacteria and even other forms of life. While some pathogens could be revived, genomes of other ancient pathogens which could not be revived were re-constructed. The present study aims to highlight and alarm the hidden aspect of global warming on the international public health, which represents future threats from the past for humanity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amr El-Sayed
- Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Kamel
- Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
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15
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Bravo-Lopez M, Villa-Islas V, Rocha Arriaga C, Villaseñor-Altamirano AB, Guzmán-Solís A, Sandoval-Velasco M, Wesp JK, Alcantara K, López-Corral A, Gómez-Valdés J, Mejía E, Herrera A, Meraz-Moreno A, Moreno-Cabrera MDLL, Moreno-Estrada A, Nieves-Colón MA, Olvera J, Pérez-Pérez J, Iversen KH, Rasmussen S, Sandoval K, Zepeda G, Ávila-Arcos MC. Paleogenomic insights into the red complex bacteria Tannerella forsythia in Pre-Hispanic and Colonial individuals from Mexico. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190580. [PMID: 33012233 PMCID: PMC7702795 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The 'red complex' is an aggregate of three oral bacteria (Tannerella forsythia, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola) responsible for severe clinical manifestation of periodontal disease. Here, we report the first direct evidence of ancient T.forsythia DNA in dentin and dental calculus samples from archaeological skeletal remains that span from the Pre-Hispanic to the Colonial period in Mexico. We recovered twelve partial ancient T. forsythia genomes and observed a distinct phylogenetic placement of samples, suggesting that the strains present in Pre-Hispanic individuals likely arrived with the first human migrations to the Americas and that new strains were introduced with the arrival of European and African populations in the sixteenth century. We also identified instances of the differential presence of genes between periods in the T. forsythia ancient genomes, with certain genes present in Pre-Hispanic individuals and absent in Colonial individuals, and vice versa. This study highlights the potential for studying ancient T. forsythia genomes to unveil past social interactions through analysis of disease transmission. Our results illustrate the long-standing relationship between this oral pathogen and its human host, while also unveiling key evidence to understand its evolutionary history in Pre-Hispanic and Colonial Mexico. This article is part of the theme issue 'Insights into health and disease from ancient biomolecules'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Bravo-Lopez
- International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, National Autonomous University of México (UNAM), Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
| | - Viridiana Villa-Islas
- International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, National Autonomous University of México (UNAM), Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
| | - Carolina Rocha Arriaga
- International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, National Autonomous University of México (UNAM), Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
| | - Ana B. Villaseñor-Altamirano
- International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, National Autonomous University of México (UNAM), Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
| | - Axel Guzmán-Solís
- International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, National Autonomous University of México (UNAM), Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
| | - Marcela Sandoval-Velasco
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 1350, Denmark
| | - Julie K. Wesp
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Keitlyn Alcantara
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Aurelio López-Corral
- Department of Archeology, National Institute of Anthropology and History, Tlaxcala, 90000, Mexico
| | | | - Elizabeth Mejía
- National Institute of Anthropology and History, Querétaro, 76000, Mexico
| | - Alberto Herrera
- National Institute of Anthropology and History, Querétaro, 76000, Mexico
| | | | | | - Andrés Moreno-Estrada
- National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity, Unit of Advanced Genomics (LANGEBIO), CINVESTAV, Irapuato, Guanajuato 36824, Mexico
| | - Maria A. Nieves-Colón
- National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity, Unit of Advanced Genomics (LANGEBIO), CINVESTAV, Irapuato, Guanajuato 36824, Mexico
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Joel Olvera
- Graduate Program of Physical Anthropology, National School of Anthropology and History, Mexico City, 14030, Mexico
| | - Julia Pérez-Pérez
- National School of Anthropology and History, Mexico City, 14030, Mexico
| | - Katrine Højholt Iversen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2200, Denmark
| | - Simon Rasmussen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2200, Denmark
| | - Karla Sandoval
- National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity, Unit of Advanced Genomics (LANGEBIO), CINVESTAV, Irapuato, Guanajuato 36824, Mexico
| | - Gabriela Zepeda
- National Institute of Anthropology and History, Guanajuato, 36250, Mexico
| | - María C. Ávila-Arcos
- International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, National Autonomous University of México (UNAM), Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
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16
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Parker C, Rohrlach AB, Friederich S, Nagel S, Meyer M, Krause J, Bos KI, Haak W. A systematic investigation of human DNA preservation in medieval skeletons. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18225. [PMID: 33106554 PMCID: PMC7588426 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75163-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Ancient DNA (aDNA) analyses necessitate the destructive sampling of archaeological material. Currently, the cochlea, part of the osseous inner ear located inside the petrous pyramid, is the most sought after skeletal element for molecular analyses of ancient humans as it has been shown to yield high amounts of endogenous DNA. However, destructive sampling of the petrous pyramid may not always be possible, particularly in cases where preservation of skeletal morphology is of top priority. To investigate alternatives, we present a survey of human aDNA preservation for each of ten skeletal elements in a skeletal collection from Medieval Germany. Through comparison of human DNA content and quality we confirm best performance of the petrous pyramid and identify seven additional sampling locations across four skeletal elements that yield adequate aDNA for most applications in human palaeogenetics. Our study provides a better perspective on DNA preservation across the human skeleton and takes a further step toward the more responsible use of ancient materials in human aDNA studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody Parker
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.
| | - Adam B Rohrlach
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Susanne Friederich
- Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie, Sachsen-Anhalt, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Sarah Nagel
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Johannes Krause
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.
| | - Kirsten I Bos
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Haak
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.
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17
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Eriksen AMH, Nielsen TK, Matthiesen H, Carøe C, Hansen LH, Gregory DJ, Turner-Walker G, Collins MJ, Gilbert MTP. Bone biodeterioration-The effect of marine and terrestrial depositional environments on early diagenesis and bone bacterial community. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0240512. [PMID: 33057402 PMCID: PMC7561151 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria play an important role in the degradation of bone material. However, much remains to be learnt about the structure of their communities in degrading bone, and how the depositional environment influences their diversity throughout the exposure period. We genetically profiled the bacterial community in an experimental series of pig bone fragments (femur and humeri) deposited at different well-defined environments in Denmark. The bacterial community in the bone fragments and surrounding depositional environment were studied over one year, and correlated with the bioerosion damage patterns observed microscopically in the bones. We observed that the bacterial communities within the bones were heavily influenced by the local microbial community, and that the general bone microbial diversity increases with time after exposure. We found the presence of several known collagenase producing bacterial groups, and also observed increases in the relative abundance of several of these in bones with tunneling. We anticipate that future analyses using shotgun metagenomics on this and similar datasets will be able to provide insights into mechanisms of microbiome driven bone degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Marie Høier Eriksen
- Environmental Archaeology & Materials Science, Conservation & Natural Sciences, National Museum of Denmark, København, Denmark
- The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, København, Denmark
| | - Tue Kjærgaard Nielsen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, København, Denmark
| | - Henning Matthiesen
- Environmental Archaeology & Materials Science, Conservation & Natural Sciences, National Museum of Denmark, København, Denmark
| | - Christian Carøe
- The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, København, Denmark
| | - Lars Hestbjerg Hansen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Science, University of Copenhagen, København, Denmark
| | - David John Gregory
- Environmental Archaeology & Materials Science, Conservation & Natural Sciences, National Museum of Denmark, København, Denmark
| | - Gordon Turner-Walker
- Department of Cultural Heritage Conservation, National Yunlin University of Science & Technology, Douliu, Yunlin County, Taiwan
| | - Matthew James Collins
- The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, København, Denmark
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - M. Thomas P. Gilbert
- The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, København, Denmark
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University Museum, Trondheim, Norway
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, København, Denmark
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18
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Kontopoulos I, Penkman K, Mullin VE, Winkelbach L, Unterländer M, Scheu A, Kreutzer S, Hansen HB, Margaryan A, Teasdale MD, Gehlen B, Street M, Lynnerup N, Liritzis I, Sampson A, Papageorgopoulou C, Allentoft ME, Burger J, Bradley DG, Collins MJ. Screening archaeological bone for palaeogenetic and palaeoproteomic studies. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0235146. [PMID: 32584871 PMCID: PMC7316274 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The recovery and analysis of ancient DNA and protein from archaeological bone is time-consuming and expensive to carry out, while it involves the partial or complete destruction of valuable or rare specimens. The fields of palaeogenetic and palaeoproteomic research would benefit greatly from techniques that can assess the molecular quality prior to sampling. To be relevant, such screening methods should be effective, minimally-destructive, and rapid. This study reports results based on spectroscopic (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance [FTIR-ATR]; n = 266), palaeoproteomic (collagen content; n = 226), and palaeogenetic (endogenous DNA content; n = 88) techniques. We establish thresholds for three different FTIR indices, a) the infrared splitting factor [IRSF] that assesses relative changes in bioapatite crystals’ size and homogeneity; b) the carbonate-to-phosphate [C/P] ratio as a relative measure of carbonate content in bioapatite crystals; and c) the amide-to-phosphate ratio [Am/P] for assessing the relative organic content preserved in bone. These thresholds are both extremely reliable and easy to apply for the successful and rapid distinction between well- and poorly-preserved specimens. This is a milestone for choosing appropriate samples prior to genomic and collagen analyses, with important implications for biomolecular archaeology and palaeontology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Kontopoulos
- Department of Archaeology, BioArCh, University of York, York, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Kirsty Penkman
- Department of Chemistry, BioArCh, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria E. Mullin
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Winkelbach
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Martina Unterländer
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Department of History and Ethnology, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece
- German Federal Criminal Police Office, Wiesbaden, Germany
| | - Amelie Scheu
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Kreutzer
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Henrik B. Hansen
- Centre for GeoGenetics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ashot Margaryan
- Centre for GeoGenetics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Matthew D. Teasdale
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Archaeology, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Birgit Gehlen
- Collaborative Research Centre, project D4, Cologne University, Cologne, Germany
| | - Martin Street
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, RGZM Leibniz Research Institute for Archaeology, Neuwied, Germany
| | - Niels Lynnerup
- Unit of Forensic Anthropology, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ioannis Liritzis
- Laboratory of Archaeometry, Department of Mediterranean Studies, University of the Aegean, Rhodes, Greece
- Center on Yellow River Civilization of Henan Province, Key Research Institute of Yellow River Civilization and Sustainable Development and Collaborative Innovation, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Adamantios Sampson
- Department of Mediterranean Studies, University of the Aegean, Rhodes, Greece
| | - Christina Papageorgopoulou
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Department of History and Ethnology, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece
| | - Morten E. Allentoft
- Centre for GeoGenetics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Joachim Burger
- Palaeogenetics Group, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniel G. Bradley
- Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Matthew J. Collins
- Department of Archaeology, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Centre for Evogenomics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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de-Dios T, van Dorp L, Charlier P, Morfopoulou S, Lizano E, Bon C, Le Bitouzé C, Alvarez-Estape M, Marquès-Bonet T, Balloux F, Lalueza-Fox C. Metagenomic analysis of a blood stain from the French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793). INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2020; 80:104209. [PMID: 32004756 PMCID: PMC7615110 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793) was assassinated in 1793 in his bathtub, where he was trying to find relief from the debilitating skin disease he was suffering from. At the time of his death, Marat was annotating newspapers, which got stained with his blood and were subsequently preserved by his sister. We extracted and sequenced DNA from the blood stain and also from another section of the newspaper, which we used for comparison. Results from the human DNA sequence analyses were compatible with a heterogeneous ancestry of Marat, with his mother being of French origin and his father born in Sardinia. Metagenomic analyses of the non-human reads uncovered the presence of fungal, bacterial and low levels of viral DNA. Relying on the presence/absence of microbial species in the samples, we could cast doubt on several putative infectious agents that have been previously hypothesised as the cause of his condition but for which we detect not a single sequencing read. Conversely, some of the species we detect are uncommon as environmental contaminants and may represent plausible infective agents. Based on all the available evidence, we hypothesize that Marat may have suffered from a fungal infection (seborrheic dermatitis), possibly superinfected with bacterial opportunistic pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni de-Dios
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lucy van Dorp
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Philippe Charlier
- Département de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement, Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, 75007 Paris, France; Université Paris-Saclay (UVSQ), Laboratory Anthropology, Archaeology, Biology (LAAB), 78180 Montigny-le-bretonneux, France
| | - Sofia Morfopoulou
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Esther Lizano
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Celine Bon
- Département Hommes, Natures, Sociétés, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 75116 Paris, France
| | | | - Marina Alvarez-Estape
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tomas Marquès-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain; CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08036 Barcelona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - François Balloux
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Carles Lalueza-Fox
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
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Gonzalez A, Cannet C, Zvénigorosky V, Geraut A, Koch G, Delabarde T, Ludes B, Raul JS, Keyser C. The petrous bone: Ideal substrate in legal medicine? Forensic Sci Int Genet 2020; 47:102305. [PMID: 32446165 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2020.102305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Over the last few years, palaeogenomic studies of the petrous bone (the densest part of the temporal bone) have shown that it is a source of DNA in both larger quantities and of better quality than other bones. This dense bone around the otic capsule has therefore been called the choice substrate in palaeogenomics. Because the practice of forensic genetics responds to different imperatives, we implemented a study aimed at (i) understanding how and why the petrous bone is an advantageous substrate in ancient DNA studies and (ii) establishing whether it is advantageous in forensic STR typing. We selected 50 individual skeletal remains and extracted DNA from one tooth and one petrous bone from each. We then amplified 24 STR markers commonly used in forensic identification and compared the quality of that amplification using the RFU intensities of the signal as read on the STR profiles. We also performed histological analyses to compare (i) the microscopic structure of a petrous bone and of a tooth and (ii) the microscopic structure of fresh petrous bone and of an archaeological or forensic sample. We show that the RFU intensities read on STR profiles are systematically higher in experiments using DNA extracted from petrous bones rather than teeth. For this reason, we were more likely to obtain a complete STR profile from petrous bone material, increasing the chance of identification in a forensic setting. Histological analyses revealed peculiar microstructural characteristics (tissue organization), unique to the petrous bone, that might explain the good preservation of DNA in that substrate. Therefore, it appears that despite the necessity of analysing longer fragments in forensic STR typing compared to NGS palaeogenomics, the use of petrous bones in forensic genetics could prove valuable, especially in cases involving infants, toothless individuals or very degraded skeletal remains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angéla Gonzalez
- Institut de Médecine Légale, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, France.
| | - Catherine Cannet
- Institut de Médecine Légale, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, France.
| | - Vincent Zvénigorosky
- Institut de Médecine Légale, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, France; CNRS, FRE2029-BABEL, Université Paris Descartes, France.
| | - Annie Geraut
- Institut de Médecine Légale, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, France.
| | - Guillaume Koch
- Institut d'Anatomie Normale, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, France.
| | | | - Bertrand Ludes
- CNRS, FRE2029-BABEL, Université Paris Descartes, France; Institut Médico-Légal de Paris, France; Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine, Paris, France.
| | - Jean-Sébastien Raul
- Institut de Médecine Légale, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, France.
| | - Christine Keyser
- Institut de Médecine Légale, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de médecine de Strasbourg, France; CNRS, FRE2029-BABEL, Université Paris Descartes, France; Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine, Paris, France.
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Zhou Z, Alikhan NF, Mohamed K, Fan Y, Achtman M. The EnteroBase user's guide, with case studies on Salmonella transmissions, Yersinia pestis phylogeny, and Escherichia core genomic diversity. Genome Res 2020; 30:138-152. [PMID: 31809257 PMCID: PMC6961584 DOI: 10.1101/gr.251678.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 469] [Impact Index Per Article: 117.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
EnteroBase is an integrated software environment that supports the identification of global population structures within several bacterial genera that include pathogens. Here, we provide an overview of how EnteroBase works, what it can do, and its future prospects. EnteroBase has currently assembled more than 300,000 genomes from Illumina short reads from Salmonella, Escherichia, Yersinia, Clostridioides, Helicobacter, Vibrio, and Moraxella and genotyped those assemblies by core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST). Hierarchical clustering of cgMLST sequence types allows mapping a new bacterial strain to predefined population structures at multiple levels of resolution within a few hours after uploading its short reads. Case Study 1 illustrates this process for local transmissions of Salmonella enterica serovar Agama between neighboring social groups of badgers and humans. EnteroBase also supports single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) calls from both genomic assemblies and after extraction from metagenomic sequences, as illustrated by Case Study 2 which summarizes the microevolution of Yersinia pestis over the last 5000 years of pandemic plague. EnteroBase can also provide a global overview of the genomic diversity within an entire genus, as illustrated by Case Study 3, which presents a novel, global overview of the population structure of all of the species, subspecies, and clades within Escherichia.
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Abstract
Over the past decade, a genomics revolution, made possible through the development of high-throughput sequencing, has triggered considerable progress in the study of ancient DNA, enabling complete genomes of past organisms to be reconstructed. A newly established branch of this field, ancient pathogen genomics, affords an in-depth view of microbial evolution by providing a molecular fossil record for a number of human-associated pathogens. Recent accomplishments include the confident identification of causative agents from past pandemics, the discovery of microbial lineages that are now extinct, the extrapolation of past emergence events on a chronological scale and the characterization of long-term evolutionary history of microorganisms that remain relevant to public health today. In this Review, we discuss methodological advancements, persistent challenges and novel revelations gained through the study of ancient pathogen genomes.
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