1
|
Modi A, Vizzari MT, Catalano G, Boscolo Agostini R, Vai S, Lari M, Vergata C, Zaro V, Liccioli L, Fedi M, Barone S, Nigro L, Lancioni H, Achilli A, Sineo L, Caramelli D, Ghirotto S. Genetic structure and differentiation from early bronze age in the mediterranean island of sicily: Insights from ancient mitochondrial genomes. Front Genet 2022; 13:945227. [PMID: 36159977 PMCID: PMC9500526 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.945227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sicily is one of the main islands of the Mediterranean Sea, and it is characterized by a variety of archaeological records, material culture and traditions, reflecting the history of migrations and populations’ interaction since its first colonization, during the Paleolithic. These deep and complex demographic and cultural dynamics should have affected the genomic landscape of Sicily at different levels; however, the relative impact of these migrations on the genomic structure and differentiation within the island remains largely unknown. The available Sicilian modern genetic data gave a picture of the current genetic structure, but the paucity of ancient data did not allow so far to make predictions about the level of historical variation. In this work, we sequenced and analyzed the complete mitochondrial genomes of 36 individuals from five different locations in Sicily, spanning from Early Bronze Age to Iron Age, and with different cultural backgrounds. The comparison with coeval groups from the Mediterranean Basin highlighted structured genetic variation in Sicily since Early Bronze Age, thus supporting a demic impact of the cultural transitions within the Island. Explicit model testing through Approximate Bayesian Computation allowed us to make predictions about the origin of Sicanians, one of the three indigenous peoples of Sicily, whose foreign origin from Spain, historically attributed, was not confirmed by our analysis of genetic data. Sicilian modern mitochondrial data show a different, more homogeneous, genetic composition, calling for a recent genetic replacement in the Island of pre-Iron Age populations, that should be further investigated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Modi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
- *Correspondence: Alessandra Modi, ; Silvia Ghirotto,
| | - Maria Teresa Vizzari
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giulio Catalano
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Stefania Vai
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - Martina Lari
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - Chiara Vergata
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - Valentina Zaro
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - Lucia Liccioli
- INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare) Sezione di Firenze, Firenze, Italy
| | - Mariaelena Fedi
- INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare) Sezione di Firenze, Firenze, Italy
| | - Serena Barone
- INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare) Sezione di Firenze, Firenze, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Nigro
- Department “Italian Institute of Oriental Studies—ISO”, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Hovirag Lancioni
- Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Alessandro Achilli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Luca Sineo
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - David Caramelli
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - Silvia Ghirotto
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- *Correspondence: Alessandra Modi, ; Silvia Ghirotto,
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Genomic and dietary discontinuities during the Mesolithic and Neolithic in Sicily. iScience 2022; 25:104244. [PMID: 35494246 PMCID: PMC9051636 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Sicily is a key region for understanding the agricultural transition in the Mediterranean because of its central position. Here, we present genomic and stable isotopic data for 19 prehistoric Sicilians covering the Mesolithic to Bronze Age periods (10,700–4,100 yBP). We find that Early Mesolithic hunter-gatherers (HGs) from Sicily are a highly drifted lineage of the Early Holocene western European HGs, whereas Late Mesolithic HGs carry ∼20% ancestry related to northern and (south) eastern European HGs, indicating substantial gene flow. Early Neolithic farmers are genetically most similar to farmers from the Balkans and Greece, with only ∼7% of ancestry from local Mesolithic HGs. The genetic discontinuities during the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic match the changes in material culture and diet. Three outlying individuals dated to ∼8,000 yBP; however, suggest that hunter-gatherers interacted with incoming farmers at Grotta dell’Uzzo, resulting in a mixed economy and diet for a brief interlude at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition. Genetic transition between Early Mesolithic and Late Mesolithic hunter-gatherers A near-complete genetic turnover during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition Exchange of subsistence practices between hunter-gatherers and early farmers
Collapse
|
3
|
Whole-exome sequencing of the mummified remains of Cangrande della Scala (1291-1329 CE) indicates the first known case of late-onset Pompe disease. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21070. [PMID: 34702906 PMCID: PMC8548527 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00559-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mummified remains of relevant historical figures are nowadays an important source of information to retrace data concerning their private life and health, especially when historical archives are not available. Next-generation-sequencing was proved to be a valuable tool to unravel the characteristics of these individuals through their genetic heritage. Using the strictest criteria currently available for the validation of ancient DNA sequences, whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing were generated from the mummy remains of an Italian nobleman died almost 700 years ago, Cangrande della Scala. While its genome sequencing could not yield sufficient coverage for in depth investigation, exome sequencing could overcome the limitations of this approach to achieve significantly high coverage on coding regions, thus allowing to perform the first extensive exome analysis of a mummy genome. Similar to a standard "clinical exome analysis" conducted on modern DNA, an in-depth variant annotation, high-quality filtering and interpretation was performed, leading to the identification of a genotype associated with late-onset Pompe disease (glycogen storage disease type II). This genetic diagnosis was concordant with the limited clinical history available for Cangrande della Scala, who likely represents the earliest known case of this autosomal recessive metabolic disorder.
Collapse
|