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Martin-Roy R, Thyrring J, Mata X, Bangsgaard P, Bennike O, Christiansen G, Funder S, Gotfredsen AB, Gregersen KM, Hansen CH, Ilsøe PC, Klassen L, Kristensen IK, Ravnholt GB, Marin F, Der Sarkissian C. Advancing responsible genomic analyses of ancient mollusc shells. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302646. [PMID: 38709766 PMCID: PMC11073703 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The analysis of the DNA entrapped in ancient shells of molluscs has the potential to shed light on the evolution and ecology of this very diverse phylum. Ancient genomics could help reconstruct the responses of molluscs to past climate change, pollution, and human subsistence practices at unprecedented temporal resolutions. Applications are however still in their infancy, partly due to our limited knowledge of DNA preservation in calcium carbonate shells and the need for optimized methods for responsible genomic data generation. To improve ancient shell genomic analyses, we applied high-throughput DNA sequencing to 27 Mytilus mussel shells dated to ~111-6500 years Before Present, and investigated the impact, on DNA recovery, of shell imaging, DNA extraction protocols and shell sub-sampling strategies. First, we detected no quantitative or qualitative deleterious effect of micro-computed tomography for recording shell 3D morphological information prior to sub-sampling. Then, we showed that double-digestion and bleach treatment of shell powder prior to silica-based DNA extraction improves shell DNA recovery, also suggesting that DNA is protected in preservation niches within ancient shells. Finally, all layers that compose Mytilus shells, i.e., the nacreous (aragonite) and prismatic (calcite) carbonate layers, with or without the outer organic layer (periostracum) proved to be valuable DNA reservoirs, with aragonite appearing as the best substrate for genomic analyses. Our work contributes to the understanding of long-term molecular preservation in biominerals and we anticipate that resulting recommendations will be helpful for future efficient and responsible genomic analyses of ancient mollusc shells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaël Martin-Roy
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, UMR5288, CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Jakob Thyrring
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Xavier Mata
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, UMR5288, CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Pernille Bangsgaard
- Globe Institute, Section for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ole Bennike
- Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Svend Funder
- Globe Institute, Section for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | | | - Peter Carsten Ilsøe
- Globe Institute, Section for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | | | - Frédéric Marin
- Biogéosciences, UMR6282, CNRS-EPHE-uB, University of Burgundy, EPHE, Dijon, France
| | - Clio Der Sarkissian
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, UMR5288, CNRS, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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Walton K, Scarsbrook L, Mitchell KJ, Verry AJF, Marshall BA, Rawlence NJ, Spencer HG. Application of palaeogenetic techniques to historic mollusc shells reveals phylogeographic structure in a New Zealand abalone. Mol Ecol Resour 2022; 23:118-130. [PMID: 35951485 PMCID: PMC10087340 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Natural history collections worldwide contain a plethora of mollusc shells. Recent studies have detailed the sequencing of DNA extracted from shells up to thousands of years old and from various taphonomic and preservational contexts. However, previous approaches have largely addressed methodological rather than evolutionary research questions. Here we report the generation of DNA sequence data from mollusc shells using such techniques, applied to Haliotis virginea Gmelin, 1791, a New Zealand abalone, in which morphological variation has led to the recognition of several forms and subspecies. We successfully recovered near-complete mitogenomes from 22 specimens including 12 dry-preserved shells up to 60 years old. We used a combination of palaeogenetic techniques that have not previously been applied to shell, including DNA extraction optimized for ultra-short fragments and hybridization-capture of single-stranded DNA libraries. Phylogenetic analyses revealed three major, well-supported clades comprising samples from: 1) the Three Kings Islands; 2) the Auckland, Chatham and Antipodes Islands; and 3) mainland New Zealand and Campbell Island. This phylogeographic structure does not correspond to the currently recognized forms. Critically, our non-reliance on freshly collected or ethanol-preserved samples enabled inclusion of topotypes of all recognized subspecies as well as additional difficult-to-sample populations. Broader application of these comparatively cost-effective and reliable methods to modern, historical, archaeological and palaeontological shell samples has the potential to revolutionize invertebrate genetic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry Walton
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand
| | - Lachie Scarsbrook
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand.,Palaeogenomics and Bio-Archaeology Research Network, School of Archaeology, 1 South Parks Road, OX1 3TG, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kieren J Mitchell
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand
| | - Alexander J F Verry
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand.,Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, CNRS UMR5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Bruce A Marshall
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 169 Tory St, Te Aro, 6011, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Nicolas J Rawlence
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand
| | - Hamish G Spencer
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand
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High-throughput degraded DNA sequencing of subfossil shells of a critically endangered stenoendemic land snail in the Aegean. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 175:107561. [PMID: 35779768 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
High-throughput sequencing has enabled the comprehensive genetic exploration of biological diversity, especially by using natural history collections to study hard-to-find, threatened or even extinct-in-the-wild taxa. Mollusk shells are under-exploited as a source for DNA-based approaches, despite their apparent advantages in the field of conservation genetics. More particularly, degraded DNA techniques combined with high-throughput sequencing have never been used to gain insights about the DNA preservation in land snail subfossil or historical shells. Here, we applied degraded DNA analysis on two historical shells of Levantina rechingeri, a stenoendemic Critically Endangered species that has never been found alive, in order to explore the patterns of DNA preservation on land snail shells originating from the eastern Mediterranean, as well as to infer its molecular phylogenetic placement. Our results showed that centuries to decades-old DNA from an empty shell collected in an Aegean island exhibits characteristic post-mortem damage patterns similar to those observed in ancient DNA from eastern Mediterranean terrestrial animals, setting a precedent for future museomics studies on taxa distributed in areas with similar climate. Finally, genome skimming of the empty shell allowed high coverage of multiple nuclear and mitochondrial loci, enabling the phylogenetic placement of the focal taxon, the re-evaluation of its taxonomic classification, and the revealing of a new Aegean land snail lineage, Aristina genus novum. This approach is a non-invasive way to sample DNA from threatened land snail species and suitable to study the evolutionary history of taxa with cryptic ecology, stenoendemics, or extinct-in-the-wild, as well as old museum specimens.
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