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Bougiouri K, Aninta SG, Charlton S, Harris A, Carmagnini A, Piličiauskienė G, Feuerborn TR, Scarsbrook L, Tabadda K, Blaževičius P, Parker HG, Gopalakrishnan S, Larson G, Ostrander EA, Irving-Pease EK, Frantz LA, Racimo F. Imputation of ancient canid genomes reveals inbreeding history over the past 10,000 years. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.15.585179. [PMID: 38903121 PMCID: PMC11188068 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.15.585179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
The multi-millenia long history between dogs and humans has placed them at the forefront of archeological and genomic research. Despite ongoing efforts including the analysis of ancient dog and wolf genomes, many questions remain regarding their geographic and temporal origins, and the microevolutionary processes that led to the diversity of breeds today. Although ancient genomes provide valuable information, their use is hindered by low depth of coverage and post-mortem damage, which inhibits confident genotype calling. In the present study, we assess how genotype imputation of ancient dog and wolf genomes, utilising a large reference panel, can improve the resolution provided by ancient datasets. Imputation accuracy was evaluated by down-sampling high coverage dog and wolf genomes to 0.05-2x coverage and comparing concordance between imputed and high coverage genotypes. We measured the impact of imputation on principal component analyses and runs of homozygosity. Our findings show high (R2>0.9) imputation accuracy for dogs with coverage as low as 0.5x and for wolves as low as 1.0x. We then imputed a dataset of 90 ancient dog and wolf genomes, to assess changes in inbreeding during the last 10,000 years of dog evolution. Ancient dog and wolf populations generally exhibited lower inbreeding levels than present-day individuals. Interestingly, regions with low ROH density maintained across ancient and present-day samples were significantly associated with genes related to olfaction and immune response. Our study indicates that imputing ancient canine genomes is a viable strategy that allows for the use of analytical methods previously limited to high-quality genetic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia Bougiouri
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sabhrina Gita Aninta
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sophy Charlton
- BioArCh, Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Alex Harris
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Alberto Carmagnini
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Palaeogenomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Giedrė Piličiauskienė
- Department of Archeology, Faculty of History, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Tatiana R. Feuerborn
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Lachie Scarsbrook
- The Palaeogenomics and Bio-archaeology Research Network, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kristina Tabadda
- The Palaeogenomics and Bio-archaeology Research Network, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Povilas Blaževičius
- Department of Archeology, Faculty of History, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- National Museum of Lithuania, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Heidi G. Parker
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Shyam Gopalakrishnan
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Greger Larson
- The Palaeogenomics and Bio-archaeology Research Network, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Elaine A. Ostrander
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Evan K. Irving-Pease
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laurent A.F. Frantz
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Palaeogenomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Fernando Racimo
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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2
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Haarkötter C, Saiz M, Gálvez X, Vinueza-Espinosa DC, Medina-Lozano MI, Álvarez JC, Lorente JA. Evaluation of the usefulness of insertion-null markers in critical skeletal remains. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:1287-1293. [PMID: 38509248 PMCID: PMC11164766 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-024-03205-3] [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: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Forensic DNA analysis in compromised skeletal remains may pose challenges due to DNA degradation, often resulting in partial or negative autosomal STRs profiles. To address this issue, alternative approaches such as mitochondrial DNA or SNPs typing may be employed; however, they are labour-intensive and costly. Insertion-null alleles (INNULs), short interspersed nuclear elements, have been suggested as a valuable tool for human identification in challenging samples due to their small amplicon size. A commercial kit including 20 INNULs markers along with amelogenin (InnoTyper® 21) has been developed. This study assesses its utility using degraded skeletal remains, comparing the results obtained (the number of detected alleles, RFU values, PHR, and the number of reportable markers) to those obtained using GlobalFiler™. Subsequently, the random match probability of the two profiles for each sample was determined using Familias version 3 to evaluate the power of discrimination of the results obtained from each kit. In every sample, InnoTyper® 21 yielded more alleles, higher RFU values, and a greater number of reportable loci. However, in most cases, both profiles were similarly informative. In conclusion, InnoTyper® 21 serves as a valuable complement to the analysis of challenging samples in cases where a poor or negative profile was obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Haarkötter
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification & Human Rights (LABIGEN-UGR), Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Av. Investigación 11 - PTS - 18016, Granada, Spain
| | - María Saiz
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification & Human Rights (LABIGEN-UGR), Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Av. Investigación 11 - PTS - 18016, Granada, Spain
| | - Xiomara Gálvez
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification & Human Rights (LABIGEN-UGR), Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Av. Investigación 11 - PTS - 18016, Granada, Spain
| | - Diana C Vinueza-Espinosa
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification & Human Rights (LABIGEN-UGR), Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Av. Investigación 11 - PTS - 18016, Granada, Spain
| | - María Isabel Medina-Lozano
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification & Human Rights (LABIGEN-UGR), Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Av. Investigación 11 - PTS - 18016, Granada, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Álvarez
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification & Human Rights (LABIGEN-UGR), Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Av. Investigación 11 - PTS - 18016, Granada, Spain.
| | - Jose Antonio Lorente
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification & Human Rights (LABIGEN-UGR), Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Av. Investigación 11 - PTS - 18016, Granada, Spain
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3
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Aldeias V, Stahlschmidt MC. Sediment DNA can revolutionize archaeology-if it is used the right way. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317042121. [PMID: 38900796 PMCID: PMC11214044 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317042121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Vera Aldeias
- Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour, Universidade do Algarve, Faro8005-139, Portugal
| | - Mareike C. Stahlschmidt
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna1010, Austria
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna1010, Austria
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4
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Popitsch N, Neumann T, von Haeseler A, Ameres SL. Splice_sim: a nucleotide conversion-enabled RNA-seq simulation and evaluation framework. Genome Biol 2024; 25:166. [PMID: 38918865 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03313-8] [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: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Nucleotide conversion RNA sequencing techniques interrogate chemical RNA modifications in cellular transcripts, resulting in mismatch-containing reads. Biases in mapping the resulting reads to reference genomes remain poorly understood. We present splice_sim, a splice-aware RNA-seq simulation and evaluation pipeline that introduces user-defined nucleotide conversions at set frequencies, creates mixture models of converted and unconverted reads, and calculates mapping accuracies per genomic annotation. By simulating nucleotide conversion RNA-seq datasets under realistic experimental conditions, including metabolic RNA labeling and RNA bisulfite sequencing, we measure mapping accuracies of state-of-the-art spliced-read mappers for mouse and human transcripts and derive strategies to prevent biases in the data interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niko Popitsch
- Max Perutz Labs, Vienna Biocenter Campus (VBC), Vienna, A-1030, Austria.
- Max Perutz Labs, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1030, Austria.
| | - Tobias Neumann
- Quantro Therapeutics, Vienna, A-1030, Austria
- Vienna Biocenter PhD Program, a Doctoral School of the University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1030, Austria
- Center for Integrative Bioinformatics Vienna, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1030, Austria
| | - Arndt von Haeseler
- Center for Integrative Bioinformatics Vienna, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1030, Austria
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Faculty of Computer Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1090, Austria
| | - Stefan L Ameres
- Max Perutz Labs, Vienna Biocenter Campus (VBC), Vienna, A-1030, Austria
- Max Perutz Labs, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1030, Austria
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, IMBA, Vienna Biocenter Campus (VBC), Vienna, A-1030, Austria
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5
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Rayo E, Ulrich GF, Zemp N, Greeff M, Schuenemann VJ, Widmer A, Fischer MC. Minimally destructive hDNA extraction method for retrospective genetics of pinned historical Lepidoptera specimens. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12875. [PMID: 38834639 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63587-7] [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: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The millions of specimens stored in entomological collections provide a unique opportunity to study historical insect diversity. Current technologies allow to sequence entire genomes of historical specimens and estimate past genetic diversity of present-day endangered species, advancing our understanding of anthropogenic impact on genetic diversity and enabling the implementation of conservation strategies. A limiting challenge is the extraction of historical DNA (hDNA) of adequate quality for sequencing platforms. We tested four hDNA extraction protocols on five body parts of pinned false heath fritillary butterflies, Melitaea diamina, aiming to minimise specimen damage, preserve their scientific value to the collections, and maximise DNA quality and yield for whole-genome re-sequencing. We developed a very effective approach that successfully recovers hDNA appropriate for short-read sequencing from a single leg of pinned specimens using silica-based DNA extraction columns and an extraction buffer that includes SDS, Tris, Proteinase K, EDTA, NaCl, PTB, and DTT. We observed substantial variation in the ratio of nuclear to mitochondrial DNA in extractions from different tissues, indicating that optimal tissue choice depends on project aims and anticipated downstream analyses. We found that sufficient DNA for whole genome re-sequencing can reliably be extracted from a single leg, opening the possibility to monitor changes in genetic diversity maintaining the scientific value of specimens while supporting current and future conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Rayo
- Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institut Für Veterinärpathologie, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gabriel F Ulrich
- Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Niklaus Zemp
- Genetic Diversity Centre (GDC), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Greeff
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IAS), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Verena J Schuenemann
- Department of Environmental Sciences (DUW), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alex Widmer
- Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin C Fischer
- Institute of Integrative Biology (IBZ), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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6
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Edwards SV, Cloutier A, Cockburn G, Driver R, Grayson P, Katoh K, Baldwin MW, Sackton TB, Baker AJ. A nuclear genome assembly of an extinct flightless bird, the little bush moa. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj6823. [PMID: 38781323 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj6823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
We present a draft genome of the little bush moa (Anomalopteryx didiformis)-one of approximately nine species of extinct flightless birds from Aotearoa, New Zealand-using ancient DNA recovered from a fossil bone from the South Island. We recover a complete mitochondrial genome at 249.9× depth of coverage and almost 900 megabases of a male moa nuclear genome at ~4 to 5× coverage, with sequence contiguity sufficient to identify more than 85% of avian universal single-copy orthologs. We describe a diverse landscape of transposable elements and satellite repeats, estimate a long-term effective population size of ~240,000, identify a diverse suite of olfactory receptor genes and an opsin repertoire with sensitivity in the ultraviolet range, show that the wingless moa phenotype is likely not attributable to gene loss or pseudogenization, and identify potential function-altering coding sequence variants in moa that could be synthesized for future functional assays. This genomic resource should support further studies of avian evolution and morphological divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott V Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Alison Cloutier
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Glenn Cockburn
- Evolution of Sensory Systems Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Robert Driver
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, E 5th Street, Greenville, NC 27605, USA
| | - Phil Grayson
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Kazutaka Katoh
- Department of Genome Informatics, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan
| | - Maude W Baldwin
- Evolution of Sensory Systems Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Timothy B Sackton
- Informatics Group, Harvard University, 38 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Allan J Baker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcox Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C6, Canada
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7
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Liu S, Stoof-Leichsenring KR, Harms L, Schulte L, Mischke S, Kruse S, Zhang C, Herzschuh U. Tibetan terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems collapsed with cryosphere loss inferred from sedimentary ancient metagenomics. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadn8490. [PMID: 38781339 PMCID: PMC11114237 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn8490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Glacier and permafrost shrinkage and land-use intensification threaten mountain wildlife and affect nature conservation strategies. Here, we present paleometagenomic records of terrestrial and aquatic taxa from the southeastern Tibetan Plateau covering the last 18,000 years to help understand the complex alpine ecosystem dynamics. We infer that steppe-meadow became woodland at 14 ka (cal BP) controlled by cryosphere loss, further driving a herbivore change from wild yak to deer. These findings weaken the hypothesis of top-down control by large herbivores in the terrestrial ecosystem. We find a turnover in the aquatic communities at 14 ka, transitioning from glacier-related (blue-green) algae to abundant nonglacier-preferring picocyanobacteria, macrophytes, fish, and otters. There is no evidence for substantial effects of livestock herding in either ecosystem. Using network analysis, we assess the stress-gradient hypothesis and reveal that root hemiparasitic and cushion plants are keystone taxa. With ongoing cryosphere loss, the protection of their habitats is likely to be of conservation benefit on the Tibetan Plateau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sisi Liu
- Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam 14473, Germany
- Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Potsdam 14469, Germany
| | - Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring
- Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam 14473, Germany
| | - Lars Harms
- Computing and Data Centre, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven 27570, Germany
| | - Luise Schulte
- Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam 14473, Germany
| | - Steffen Mischke
- Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík 102, Iceland
| | - Stefan Kruse
- Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam 14473, Germany
| | - Chengjun Zhang
- School of Earth Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 73000, China
| | - Ulrike Herzschuh
- Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam 14473, Germany
- Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Potsdam 14469, Germany
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam 14476, Germany
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8
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Wilkin S, Lanigan LT, Montes N, Sharma M, Avanzi C, Sejdiu D, Majander K, Pfrengle S, Chiang Y, Kunz L, Dittmann A, Rühli F, Singh P, Coll MF, Collins MJ, Taurozzi AJ, Schuenemann VJ. Sequential trypsin and ProAlanase digestions unearth immunological protein biomarkers shrouded by skeletal collagen. iScience 2024; 27:109663. [PMID: 38655200 PMCID: PMC11035369 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109663] [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: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
This study investigates the efficacy of proteomic analysis of human remains to identify active infections in the past through the detection of pathogens and the host response to infection. We advance leprosy as a case study due to the sequestering of sufferers in leprosaria and the suggestive skeletal lesions that can result from the disease. Here we present a sequential enzyme extraction protocol, using trypsin followed by ProAlanase, to reduce the abundance of collagen peptides and in so doing increase the detection of non-collagenous proteins. Through our study of five individuals from an 11th to 18th century leprosarium, as well as four from a contemporaneous non-leprosy associated cemetery in Barcelona, we show that samples from 2 out of 5 leprosarium individuals extracted with the sequential digestion methodology contain numerous host immune proteins associated with modern leprosy. In contrast, individuals from the non-leprosy associated cemetery and all samples extracted with a trypsin-only protocol did not. Through this study, we advance a palaeoproteomic methodology to gain insights into the health of archaeological individuals and take a step toward a proteomics-based method to study immune responses in past populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shevan Wilkin
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Liam T. Lanigan
- Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nuria Montes
- Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica, Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mukul Sharma
- Microbial Pathogenesis and Genomics, National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur, MP, India
| | - Charlotte Avanzi
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Donikë Sejdiu
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kerttu Majander
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Saskia Pfrengle
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Yun Chiang
- Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laura Kunz
- Functional Genomics Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Antje Dittmann
- Functional Genomics Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Frank Rühli
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Pushpendra Singh
- Microbial Pathogenesis and Genomics, National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur, MP, India
- Model Rural Health Research Unit, Badoni, Datia (MP), India
| | | | - Matthew J. Collins
- Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, West Tower, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
| | - Alberto J. Taurozzi
- Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Meiri M, Bar-Oz G. Unraveling the diversity and cultural heritage of fruit crops through paleogenomics. Trends Genet 2024; 40:398-409. [PMID: 38423916 PMCID: PMC11079635 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2024.02.003] [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: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Abundant and plentiful fruit crops are threatened by the loss of diverse legacy cultivars which are being replaced by a limited set of high-yielding ones. This article delves into the potential of paleogenomics that utilizes ancient DNA analysis to revive lost diversity. By focusing on grapevines, date palms, and tomatoes, recent studies showcase the effectiveness of paleogenomic techniques in identifying and understanding genetic traits crucial for crop resilience, disease resistance, and nutritional value. The approach not only tracks landrace dispersal and introgression but also sheds light on domestication events. In the face of major future environmental challenges, integrating paleogenomics with modern breeding strategies emerges as a promising avenue to significantly bolster fruit crop sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meirav Meiri
- The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History and Israel National Center for Biodiversity Studies, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.
| | - Guy Bar-Oz
- School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498837 Mount Carmel, Israel
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10
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Putrino A, Marinelli E, Galeotti A, Ferrazzano GF, Ciribè M, Zaami S. A Journey into the Evolution of Human Host-Oral Microbiome Relationship through Ancient Dental Calculus: A Scoping Review. Microorganisms 2024; 12:902. [PMID: 38792733 PMCID: PMC11123932 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12050902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
One of the most promising areas of research in palaeomicrobiology is the study of the human microbiome. In particular, ancient dental calculus helps to reconstruct a substantial share of oral microbiome composition by mapping together human evolution with its state of health/oral disease. This review aims to trace microbial characteristics in ancient dental calculus to describe the evolution of the human host-oral microbiome relationship in oral health or disease in children and adults. Following the PRISMA-Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, the main scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs, Cochrane Library) have been drawn upon. Eligibility criteria were established, and all the data collected on a purpose-oriented collection form were analysed descriptively. From the initial 340 records, only 19 studies were deemed comprehensive enough for the purpose of this review. The knowledge of the composition of ancient oral microbiomes has broadened over the past few years thanks to increasingly well-performing decontamination protocols and additional analytical avenues. Above all, metagenomic sequencing, also implemented by state-of-the-art bioinformatics tools, allows for the determination of the qualitative-quantitative composition of microbial species associated with health status and caries/periodontal disease. Some microbial species, especially periodontal pathogens, do not appear to have changed in history, while others that support caries disease or oral health could be connected to human evolution through lifestyle and environmental contributing factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Putrino
- Dentistry Unit, Management Innovations, Diagnostics and Clinical Pathways, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy; (A.G.); (M.C.)
| | - Enrico Marinelli
- Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, 04100 Latina, Italy;
| | - Angela Galeotti
- Dentistry Unit, Management Innovations, Diagnostics and Clinical Pathways, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy; (A.G.); (M.C.)
- U.N.-E.U. INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT ON HUMAN HEALTH-ORAL HEALTH SECTION, 1200 Géneve, Switzerland;
| | - Gianmaria Fabrizio Ferrazzano
- U.N.-E.U. INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT ON HUMAN HEALTH-ORAL HEALTH SECTION, 1200 Géneve, Switzerland;
- UNESCO Chair in Health Education and Sustainable Development, Dentistry Section, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80138 Naples, Italy
- East-Asian-Pacific International Academic Consortium
| | - Massimiliano Ciribè
- Dentistry Unit, Management Innovations, Diagnostics and Clinical Pathways, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy; (A.G.); (M.C.)
| | - Simona Zaami
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy;
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11
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Lentz DL, Hamilton TL, Meyers SA, Dunning NP, Reese-Taylor K, Hernández AA, Walker DS, Tepe EJ, Esquivel AF, Weiss AA. Psychoactive and other ceremonial plants from a 2,000-year-old Maya ritual deposit at Yaxnohcah, Mexico. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301497. [PMID: 38669253 PMCID: PMC11051596 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301497] [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: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
For millennia, healing and psychoactive plants have been part of the medicinal and ceremonial fabric of elaborate rituals and everyday religious practices throughout Mesoamerica. Despite the essential nature of these ritual practices to the societal framework of past cultures, a clear understanding of the ceremonial life of the ancient Maya remains stubbornly elusive. Here we record the discovery of a special ritual deposit, likely wrapped in a bundle, located beneath the end field of a Late Preclassic ballcourt in the Helena complex of the Maya city of Yaxnohcah. This discovery was made possible by the application of environmental DNA technology. Plants identified through this analytical process included Ipomoea corymbosa (xtabentun in Mayan), Capsicum sp. (chili pepper or ic in Mayan), Hampea trilobata (jool), and Oxandra lanceolata (chilcahuite). All four plants have recognized medicinal properties. Two of the plants, jool and chilcahuite, are involved in artifact manufacture that have ceremonial connections while chili peppers and xtabentun have been associated with divination rituals. Xtabentun (known to the Aztecs as ololiuhqui) produces highly efficacious hallucinogenic compounds and is reported here from Maya archaeological contexts for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L. Lentz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Trinity L. Hamilton
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Stephanie A. Meyers
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Nicholas P. Dunning
- Department of Geography & GIS, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | | | | | - Debra S. Walker
- Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH), University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Eric J. Tepe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Atasta Flores Esquivel
- Programa de Posgrado en Estudios Mesoamericanos, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Alison A. Weiss
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
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12
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Sun B, Andrades Valtueña A, Kocher A, Gao S, Li C, Fu S, Zhang F, Ma P, Yang X, Qiu Y, Zhang Q, Ma J, Chen S, Xiao X, Damchaabadgar S, Li F, Kovalev A, Hu C, Chen X, Wang L, Li W, Zhou Y, Zhu H, Krause J, Herbig A, Cui Y. Origin and dispersal history of Hepatitis B virus in Eastern Eurasia. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2951. [PMID: 38580660 PMCID: PMC10997587 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47358-6] [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: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus is a globally distributed pathogen and the history of HBV infection in humans predates 10000 years. However, long-term evolutionary history of HBV in Eastern Eurasia remains elusive. We present 34 ancient HBV genomes dating between approximately 5000 to 400 years ago sourced from 17 sites across Eastern Eurasia. Ten sequences have full coverage, and only two sequences have less than 50% coverage. Our results suggest a potential origin of genotypes B and D in Eastern Asia. We observed a higher level of HBV diversity within Eastern Eurasia compared to Western Eurasia between 5000 and 3000 years ago, characterized by the presence of five different genotypes (A, B, C, D, WENBA), underscoring the significance of human migrations and interactions in the spread of HBV. Our results suggest the possibility of a transition from non-recombinant subgenotypes (B1, B5) to recombinant subgenotypes (B2 - B4). This suggests a shift in epidemiological dynamics within Eastern Eurasia over time. Here, our study elucidates the regional origins of prevalent genotypes and shifts in viral subgenotypes over centuries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Sun
- School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Aida Andrades Valtueña
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Arthur Kocher
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
- Transmission, Infection, Diversification and Evolution Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Shizhu Gao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Chunxiang Li
- School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Shuang Fu
- School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Fan Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Pengcheng Ma
- School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Xuan Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Yulan Qiu
- School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Quanchao Zhang
- School of archaeology, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Jian Ma
- School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Shan Chen
- School of Archaeology and Museology, Liaoning University, Shenyang, 110136, China
| | - Xiaoming Xiao
- School of Archaeology and Museology, Liaoning University, Shenyang, 110136, China
| | | | - Fajun Li
- School of Sociology and Anthropology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Alexey Kovalev
- Department of archaeological heritage preservation, Institute of Archaeology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117292, Russia
| | - Chunbai Hu
- Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hohhot, 010010, China
| | - Xianglong Chen
- Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Lixin Wang
- Research Center for Chinese Frontier Archaeology of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Wenying Li
- Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Ürümqi, 830011, China
| | - Yawei Zhou
- School of History, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450066, China
| | - Hong Zhu
- Research Center for Chinese Frontier Archaeology of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Johannes Krause
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.
| | - Alexander Herbig
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.
| | - Yinqiu Cui
- School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.
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13
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Zhao B, Li J, Sinha S, Qin Z, Kou SH, Xiao F, Lei H, Chen T, Cao W, Ding X, Wang SM. Pathogenic variants in human DNA damage repair genes mostly arose in recent human history. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:415. [PMID: 38575974 PMCID: PMC10993466 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12160-6] [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: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome stability is maintained by the DNA damage repair (DDR) system composed of multiple DNA repair pathways of hundreds of genes. Germline pathogenic variation (PV) in DDR genes damages function of the affected DDR genes, leading to genome instability and high risk of diseases, in particular, cancer. Knowing evolutionary origin of the PVs in human DDR genes is essential to understand the etiology of human diseases. However, answer to the issue remains largely elusive. In this study, we analyzed evolutionary origin for the PVs in human DDR genes. METHODS We identified 169 DDR genes by referring to various databases and identified PVs in the DDR genes of modern humans from ClinVar database. We performed a phylogenetic analysis to analyze the conservation of human DDR PVs in 100 vertebrates through cross-species genomic data comparison using the phyloFit program of the PHAST package and visualized the results using the GraphPad Prism software and the ggplot module. We identified DDR PVs from over 5000 ancient humans developed a database to host the DDR PVs ( https://genemutation.fhs.um.edu.mo/dbDDR-AncientHumans ). Using the PV data, we performed a molecular archeological analysis to compare the DDR PVs between modern humans and ancient humans. We analyzed evolution selection of DDR genes across 20 vertebrates using the CodeML in PAML for phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS Our phylogenic analysis ruled out cross-species conservation as the origin of human DDR PVs. Our archeological approach identified rich DDR PVs shared between modern and ancient humans, which were mostly dated within the last 5000 years. We also observed similar pattern of quantitative PV distribution between modern and ancient humans. We further detected a set of ATM, BRCA2 and CHEK2 PVs shared between human and Neanderthals. CONCLUSIONS Our study reveals that human DDR PVs mostly arose in recent human history. We propose that human high cancer risk caused by DDR PVs can be a by-product of human evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bojin Zhao
- Cancer Centre and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, 999078, Macau SAR, China
| | - Jiaheng Li
- Cancer Centre and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, 999078, Macau SAR, China
| | - Siddharth Sinha
- Cancer Centre and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, 999078, Macau SAR, China
| | - Zixin Qin
- Cancer Centre and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, 999078, Macau SAR, China
| | - Si Hoi Kou
- Cancer Centre and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, 999078, Macau SAR, China
| | - Fengxia Xiao
- Cancer Centre and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, 999078, Macau SAR, China
| | - Huijun Lei
- Cancer Centre and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, 999078, Macau SAR, China
- Department of Cancer Prevention, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Tianhui Chen
- Department of Cancer Prevention, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Hangzhou Institute of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Wenming Cao
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Hangzhou Institute of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Xiaofan Ding
- Cancer Centre and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, 999078, Macau SAR, China
| | - San Ming Wang
- Cancer Centre and Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, 999078, Macau SAR, China.
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14
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Lammers Y, Taberlet P, Coissac E, Elliott LD, Merkel MF, Pitelkova I, Alsos IG. Multiplexing PCR allows the identification of within-species genetic diversity in ancient eDNA. Mol Ecol Resour 2024; 24:e13926. [PMID: 38189170 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13926] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) has rarely been used to obtain population-level data due to either a lack of taxonomic resolution for the molecular method used, limitations in the reference material or inefficient methods. Here, we present the potential of multiplexing different PCR primers to retrieve population-level genetic data from sedaDNA samples. Vaccinium uliginosum (Ericaceae) is a widespread species with a circumpolar distribution and three lineages in present-day populations. We searched 18 plastid genomes for intraspecific variable regions and developed 61 primer sets to target these. Initial multiplex PCR testing resulted in a final set of 38 primer sets. These primer sets were used to analyse 20 lake sedaDNA samples (11,200 cal. yr BP to present) from five different localities in northern Norway, the Alps and the Polar Urals. All known V. uliginosum lineages in these regions and all primer sets could be recovered from the sedaDNA data. For each sample on average 28.1 primer sets, representing 34.15 sequence variants, were recovered. All sediment samples were dominated by a single lineage, except three Alpine samples which had co-occurrence of two different lineages. Furthermore, lineage turnover was observed in the Alps and northern Norway, suggesting that present-day phylogeographical studies may overlook past genetic patterns. Multiplexing primer is a promising tool for generating population-level genetic information from sedaDNA. The relatively simple method, combined with high sensitivity, provides a scalable method which will allow researchers to track populations through time and space using environmental DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Lammers
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - P Taberlet
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, Grenoble, France
| | - E Coissac
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, Grenoble, France
| | - L D Elliott
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - M F Merkel
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - I Pitelkova
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - I G Alsos
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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15
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Laine J, Mak SST, Martins NFG, Chen X, Gilbert MTP, Jones FC, Pedersen MW, Romundset A, Foote AD. Late Pleistocene stickleback environmental genomes reveal the chronology of freshwater adaptation. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1142-1147.e6. [PMID: 38350445 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.056] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Directly observing the chronology and tempo of adaptation in response to ecological change is rarely possible in natural ecosystems. Sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) has been shown to be a tractable source of genome-scale data of long-dead organisms1,2,3 and to thereby potentially provide an understanding of the evolutionary histories of past populations.4,5 To date, time series of ecosystem biodiversity have been reconstructed from sedaDNA, typically using DNA metabarcoding or shotgun sequence data generated from less than 1 g of sediment.6,7 Here, we maximize sequence coverage by extracting DNA from ∼50× more sediment per sample than the majority of previous studies1,2,3 to achieve genotype resolution. From a time series of Late Pleistocene sediments spanning from a marine to freshwater ecosystem, we compare adaptive genotypes reconstructed from the environmental genomes of three-spined stickleback at key time points of this transition. We find a staggered temporal dynamic in which freshwater alleles at known loci of large effect in marine-freshwater divergence of three-spined stickleback (e.g., EDA)8 were already established during the brackish phase of the formation of the isolation basin. However, marine alleles were still detected across the majority of marine-freshwater divergence-associated loci, even after the complete isolation of the lake from marine ingression. Our retrospective approach to studying adaptation from environmental genomes of three-spined sticklebacks at the end of the last glacial period complements contemporary experimental approaches9,10,11 and highlights the untapped potential for retrospective "evolve and resequence" natural experiments using sedaDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Laine
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Erling Skakkes gate 47A, 7012 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Sarah S T Mak
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nuno F G Martins
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Xihan Chen
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Erling Skakkes gate 47A, 7012 Trondheim, Norway; Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Felicity C Jones
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Max-Planck-Ring 9, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mikkel Winther Pedersen
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Andrew D Foote
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Erling Skakkes gate 47A, 7012 Trondheim, Norway; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway.
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16
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Lanaud C, Vignes H, Utge J, Valette G, Rhoné B, Garcia Caputi M, Angarita Nieto NS, Fouet O, Gaikwad N, Zarrillo S, Powis TG, Cyphers A, Valdez F, Olivera Nunez SQ, Speller C, Blake M, Valdez FJ, Raymond S, Rowe SM, Duke GS, Romano FE, Loor Solórzano RG, Argout X. A revisited history of cacao domestication in pre-Columbian times revealed by archaeogenomic approaches. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2972. [PMID: 38453955 PMCID: PMC10920634 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53010-6] [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: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Humans have a long history of transporting and trading plants, contributing to the evolution of domesticated plants. Theobroma cacao originated in the Neotropics from South America. However, little is known about its domestication and use in these regions. In this study, ceramic residues from a large sample of pre-Columbian cultures from South and Central America were analyzed using archaeogenomic and biochemical approaches. Here we show, for the first time, the widespread use of cacao in South America out of its native Amazonian area of origin, extending back 5000 years, likely supported by cultural interactions between the Amazon and the Pacific coast. We observed that strong genetic mixing between geographically distant cacao populations occurred as early as the middle Holocene, in South America, driven by humans, favoring the adaptation of T. cacao to new environments. This complex history of cacao domestication is the basis of today's cacao tree populations and its knowledge can help us better manage their genetic resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Lanaud
- CIRAD, AGAP Institut, Avenue Agropolis, F-34398, Montpellier, France.
- AGAP Institut, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France.
| | - Hélène Vignes
- CIRAD, AGAP Institut, Avenue Agropolis, F-34398, Montpellier, France
- AGAP Institut, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | - José Utge
- UMR 7206 Eco-anthropologie, Département Homme et Environnement, MNHN-CNRS-Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Gilles Valette
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron - (UMR IBMM), Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Bénédicte Rhoné
- CIRAD, AGAP Institut, Avenue Agropolis, F-34398, Montpellier, France
- AGAP Institut, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Olivier Fouet
- CIRAD, AGAP Institut, Avenue Agropolis, F-34398, Montpellier, France
- AGAP Institut, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Sonia Zarrillo
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Terry G Powis
- Department of Geography and Anthropology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, USA
| | - Ann Cyphers
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), México, México
| | - Francisco Valdez
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR 208 PALOC, MNHN-IRD, Paris, France
| | | | - Camilla Speller
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Michael Blake
- Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | | | - Scott Raymond
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Sarah M Rowe
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, USA
| | - Guy S Duke
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Xavier Argout
- CIRAD, AGAP Institut, Avenue Agropolis, F-34398, Montpellier, France
- AGAP Institut, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
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17
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Majander K, Pla-Díaz M, du Plessis L, Arora N, Filippini J, Pezo-Lanfranco L, Eggers S, González-Candelas F, Schuenemann VJ. Redefining the treponemal history through pre-Columbian genomes from Brazil. Nature 2024; 627:182-188. [PMID: 38267579 PMCID: PMC10917687 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06965-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
The origins of treponemal diseases have long remained unknown, especially considering the sudden onset of the first syphilis epidemic in the late 15th century in Europe and its hypothesized arrival from the Americas with Columbus' expeditions1,2. Recently, ancient DNA evidence has revealed various treponemal infections circulating in early modern Europe and colonial-era Mexico3-6. However, there has been to our knowledge no genomic evidence of treponematosis recovered from either the Americas or the Old World that can be reliably dated to the time before the first trans-Atlantic contacts. Here, we present treponemal genomes from nearly 2,000-year-old human remains from Brazil. We reconstruct four ancient genomes of a prehistoric treponemal pathogen, most closely related to the bejel-causing agent Treponema pallidum endemicum. Contradicting the modern day geographical niche of bejel in the arid regions of the world, the results call into question the previous palaeopathological characterization of treponeme subspecies and showcase their adaptive potential. A high-coverage genome is used to improve molecular clock date estimations, placing the divergence of modern T. pallidum subspecies firmly in pre-Columbian times. Overall, our study demonstrates the opportunities within archaeogenetics to uncover key events in pathogen evolution and emergence, paving the way to new hypotheses on the origin and spread of treponematoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerttu Majander
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Marta Pla-Díaz
- Unidad Mixta Infección y Salud Pública, FISABIO/Universidad de Valencia-I2SysBio, Valencia, Spain
- CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Louis du Plessis
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Natasha Arora
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jose Filippini
- Department of Genetic and Evolutionary Biology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Luis Pezo-Lanfranco
- Department of Genetic and Evolutionary Biology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) and Prehistory Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Sabine Eggers
- Department of Genetic and Evolutionary Biology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Anthropology, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Fernando González-Candelas
- Unidad Mixta Infección y Salud Pública, FISABIO/Universidad de Valencia-I2SysBio, Valencia, Spain.
- CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Verena J Schuenemann
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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18
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Blanchet G, Bellinger MR, Kearns AM, Cortes-Rodriguez N, Masuda B, Campana MG, Rutz C, Fleischer RC, Sutton JT. Reduction of genetic diversity in 'Alalā (Hawaiian crow; Corvus hawaiiensis) between the late 1800s and the late 1900s. J Hered 2024; 115:32-44. [PMID: 37846510 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esad063] [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: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic and genomic data are increasingly used to aid conservation management of endangered species by providing insights into evolutionary histories, factors associated with extinction risks, and potential for future adaptation. For the 'Alalā, or Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis), genetic concerns include negative correlations between inbreeding and hatching success. However, it is unclear if low genetic diversity and inbreeding depression are consequences of a historical population bottleneck, or if 'Alalā had historically low genetic diversity that predated human influence, perhaps as a result of earlier declines or founding events. In this study, we applied a hybridization-based sequence capture to generate a genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset for comparing historical specimens collected in the 1890s, when 'Alalā were more numerous, to samples taken between 1973 and 1998, when 'Alalā population densities were near the lowest documented levels in the wild, prior to all individuals being collected for captive rearing. We found low genome-wide diversity in both sample groups, however, the modern sample group (1973 to 1998 cohort) exhibited relatively fewer polymorphic alleles, a lower proportion of polymorphic loci, and lower observed heterozygosity, consistent with a population decline and potential bottleneck effects. These results combined with a current low population size highlight the importance of continued efforts by conservation managers to mitigate inbreeding and maintain founder representation to preserve what genetic diversity remains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geneviève Blanchet
- Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 W Kāwili St, Hilo, Hawai'i 96720, United States
| | - M Renee Bellinger
- Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 W Kāwili St, Hilo, Hawai'i 96720, United States
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, PO Box 44, Hawai'i National Park, Hawai'i 96718, United States
| | - Anna M Kearns
- Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20008, United States
| | - Nandadevi Cortes-Rodriguez
- Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20008, United States
| | - Bryce Masuda
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, P.O. Box 39, Volcano, HI 96785, United States
| | - Michael G Campana
- Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20008, United States
| | - Christian Rutz
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TH, United Kingdom
| | - Robert C Fleischer
- Center for Conservation Genomics, National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20008, United States
| | - Jolene T Sutton
- Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, 200 W Kāwili St, Hilo, Hawai'i 96720, United States
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19
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van Bergeijk DA, Augustijn HE, Elsayed SS, Willemse J, Carrión VJ, Du C, Urem M, Grigoreva LV, Cheprasov MY, Grigoriev S, Jansen H, Wintermans B, Budding AE, Spaink HP, Medema MH, van Wezel GP. Taxonomic and metabolic diversity of Actinomycetota isolated from faeces of a 28,000-year-old mammoth. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16589. [PMID: 38356049 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16589] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Ancient environmental samples, including permafrost soils and frozen animal remains, represent an archive with microbial communities that have barely been explored. This yet unexplored microbial world is a genetic resource that may provide us with new evolutionary insights into recent genomic changes, as well as novel metabolic pathways and chemistry. Here, we describe Actinomycetota Micromonospora, Oerskovia, Saccharopolyspora, Sanguibacter and Streptomyces species were successfully revived and their genome sequences resolved. Surprisingly, the genomes of these bacteria from an ancient source show a large phylogenetic distance to known strains and harbour many novel biosynthetic gene clusters that may well represent uncharacterised biosynthetic potential. Metabolic profiles of the strains display the production of known molecules like antimycin, conglobatin and macrotetrolides, but the majority of the mass features could not be dereplicated. Our work provides insights into Actinomycetota isolated from an ancient source, yielding unexplored genomic information that is not yet present in current databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris A van Bergeijk
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation (Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Microbiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hannah E Augustijn
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Joost Willemse
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Victor J Carrión
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Microbiology, University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Chao Du
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Mia Urem
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | - Bas Wintermans
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Adrz Hospital, Goes, The Netherlands
| | | | - Herman P Spaink
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marnix H Medema
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Gilles P van Wezel
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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20
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Fracasso I, Zaccone C, Oskolkov N, Da Ros L, Dinella A, Belelli Marchesini L, Buzzini P, Sannino C, Turchetti B, Cesco S, Le Roux G, Tonon G, Vernesi C, Mimmo T, Ventura M, Borruso L. Exploring different methodological approaches to unlock paleobiodiversity in peat profiles using ancient DNA. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 908:168159. [PMID: 37923262 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Natural and human-induced environmental changes deeply affected terrestrial ecosystems throughout the Holocene. Paleoenvironmental reconstructions provide information about the past and allow us to predict/model future scenarios. Among potential records, peat bogs are widely used because they present a precise stratigraphy and act as natural archives of highly diverse organic remains. Over the decades, several techniques have been developed to identify debris occurring in peat, including their morphological description. However, this is strongly constrained by the researcher's ability to distinguish residues at the species level, which typically requires many years of experience. In addition, potential contamination hampers using these techniques to obtain information from organisms such as fungi or bacteria. Environmental DNA metabarcoding and shotgun metagenome sequencing could represent a solution to detect specific groups of organisms without any a priori knowledge of their characteristics and/or to identify organisms that have rarely been considered in previous investigations. Moreover, shotgun metagenomics may allow the identification of bacteria and fungi (including both yeast and filamentous life forms), ensuring discrimination between ancient and modern organisms through the study of deamination/damage patterns. In the present review, we aim to i) present the state-of-the-art methodologies in paleoecological and paleoclimatic studies focusing on peat core analyses, proposing alternative approaches to the classical morphological identification of plant residues, and ii) suggest biomolecular approaches that will allow the use of proxies such as invertebrates, fungi, and bacteria, which are rarely employed in paleoenvironmental reconstructions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Fracasso
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
| | - Claudio Zaccone
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Nikolay Oskolkov
- Department of Biology, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Science for Life Laboratory, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Luca Da Ros
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Anna Dinella
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Luca Belelli Marchesini
- Forest Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Pietro Buzzini
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Ciro Sannino
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Benedetta Turchetti
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
| | - Stefano Cesco
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Gael Le Roux
- Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (UMR5245 CNRS/UPS/INPT), Université de Toulouse, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Giustino Tonon
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Cristiano Vernesi
- Forest Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Tanja Mimmo
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Maurizio Ventura
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Luigimaria Borruso
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano, Italy.
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21
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Grasso G, Bianciotto V, Marmeisse R. Paleomicrobiology: Tracking the past microbial life from single species to entire microbial communities. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14390. [PMID: 38227345 PMCID: PMC10832523 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14390] [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: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
By deciphering information encoded in degraded ancient DNA extracted from up to million-years-old samples, molecular paleomicrobiology enables to objectively retrace the temporal evolution of microbial species and communities. Assembly of full-length genomes of ancient pathogen lineages allows not only to follow historical epidemics in space and time but also to identify the acquisition of genetic features that represent landmarks in the evolution of the host-microbe interaction. Analysis of microbial community DNA extracted from essentially human paleo-artefacts (paleofeces, dental calculi) evaluates the relative contribution of diet, lifestyle and geography on the taxonomic and functional diversity of these guilds in which have been identified species that may have gone extinct in today's human microbiome. As for non-host-associated environmental samples, such as stratified sediment cores, analysis of their DNA illustrates how and at which pace microbial communities are affected by local or widespread environmental disturbance. Description of pre-disturbance microbial diversity patterns can aid in evaluating the relevance and effectiveness of remediation policies. We finally discuss how recent achievements in paleomicrobiology could contribute to microbial biotechnology in the fields of medical microbiology and food science to trace the domestication of microorganisms used in food processing or to illustrate the historic evolution of food processing microbial consortia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Grasso
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei SistemiUniversità degli Studi of TurinTurinItaly
- Institut Systématique Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB: UMR7205 CNRS‐MNHN‐Sorbonne Université‐EPHE‐UA)¸ Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), SSNational Research Council (CNR)TurinItaly
| | - Valeria Bianciotto
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), SSNational Research Council (CNR)TurinItaly
| | - Roland Marmeisse
- Institut Systématique Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB: UMR7205 CNRS‐MNHN‐Sorbonne Université‐EPHE‐UA)¸ Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), SSNational Research Council (CNR)TurinItaly
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22
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Lee OYC, Wu HHT, Besra GS. Professor David Minnikin Memorial Lecture: An era of the mycobacterial cell wall lipid biomarkers. Tuberculosis (Edinb) 2023; 143S:102415. [PMID: 38012929 DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2023.102415] [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: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
This paper is dedicated to the memory of Professor David Ernest Minnikin (1939-2021). David was one of the key scientists who pioneered the field of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell envelope research for over half a century. From the classification, identification, and extraction of the unusual lipids of the mycobacterial cell wall, to exploiting them as characteristic lipid biomarkers for sensitive detection, his ideas enlightened a whole world of possibilities within the tuberculosis (TB) field. In addition, his definition of the intricate models now forms a key milestone in our understanding of the M. tuberculosis cell envelope and has resolved many unanswered questions on the evolution of M. tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oona Y-C Lee
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom; Coventry Road Medical Centre, Small Heath, Birmingham, B10 0UG, United Kingdom
| | - Houdini H T Wu
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom; Coventry Road Medical Centre, Small Heath, Birmingham, B10 0UG, United Kingdom; UK Health Security Agency, Public Health Laboratory, Birmingham, B5 9SS, United Kingdom
| | - Gurdyal S Besra
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom.
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23
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Seeber PA, Palmer Z, Schmidt A, Chagas A, Kitagawa K, Marinova-Wolff E, Tafelmaier Y, Epp LS. The first European woolly rhinoceros mitogenomes, retrieved from cave hyena coprolites, suggest long-term phylogeographic differentiation. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230343. [PMID: 37909055 PMCID: PMC10618854 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) is an iconic species of the Eurasian Pleistocene megafauna, which was abundant in Eurasia in the Pleistocene until its demise beginning approximately 10 000 years ago. Despite the early recovery of several specimens from well-known European archaeological sites, including its type specimen (Blumenbach 1799), no genomes of European populations were available so far, and all available genomic data originated exclusively from Siberian populations. Using coprolites of cave hyenas (Crocuta crocuta spelea) recovered from Middle Palaeolithic layers of two caves in Germany (Bockstein-Loch and Hohlenstein-Stadel), we isolated and enriched predator and prey DNA to assemble the first European woolly rhinoceros mitogenomes, in addition to cave hyena mitogenomes. Both coprolite samples produced copious sequences assigned to C. crocuta (27% and 59% mitogenome coverage, respectively) and woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis; 27% and 81% coverage, respectively). The sequences suggested considerable DNA degradation, which may limit the conclusions to be drawn; however, the mitogenomes of European woolly rhinoceros are genetically distinct from the Siberian woolly rhinoceros, and analyses of the more complete mitogenome suggest a split of the populations potentially coinciding with the earliest fossil records of woolly rhinoceros in Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. A. Seeber
- Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Z. Palmer
- Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - A. Schmidt
- Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - A. Chagas
- Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - K. Kitagawa
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tubingen, Germany
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tubingen, Germany
| | - E. Marinova-Wolff
- Laboratory for Archaeobotany Baden-Württemberg, State Office for Cultural Heritage, Gaienhofen-Hemmenhofen, Germany
| | - Y. Tafelmaier
- State Office for Cultural Heritage Baden-Württemberg, Palaeolithic & Mesolithic Research Unit, Gaienhofen-Hemmenhofen, Germany
| | - L. S. Epp
- Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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24
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Muschick M, Jemmi E, Lengacher N, Hänsch S, Wales N, Kishe MA, Mwaiko S, Dieleman J, Lever MA, Salzburger W, Verschuren D, Seehausen O. Ancient DNA is preserved in fish fossils from tropical lake sediments. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5913-5931. [PMID: 37830773 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17159] [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: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Tropical freshwater lakes are well known for their high biodiversity, and particularly the East African Great Lakes are renowned for their adaptive radiation of cichlid fishes. While comparative phylogenetic analyses of extant species flocks have revealed patterns and processes of their diversification, little is known about evolutionary trajectories within lineages, the impacts of environmental drivers, or the scope and nature of now-extinct diversity. Time-structured palaeodata from geologically young fossil records, such as fossil counts and particularly ancient DNA (aDNA) data, would help fill this large knowledge gap. High ambient temperatures can be detrimental to the preservation of DNA, but refined methodology now allows data generation even from very poorly preserved samples. Here, we show for the first time that fish fossils from tropical lake sediments yield endogenous aDNA. Despite generally low endogenous content and high sample dropout, the application of high-throughput sequencing and, in some cases, sequence capture allowed taxonomic assignment and phylogenetic placement of 17% of analysed fish fossils to family or tribe level, including remains which are up to 2700 years old or weigh less than 1 mg. The relationship between aDNA degradation and the thermal age of samples is similar to that described for terrestrial samples from cold environments when adjusted for elevated temperature. Success rates and aDNA preservation differed between the investigated lakes Chala, Kivu and Victoria, possibly caused by differences in bottom water oxygenation. Our study demonstrates that the sediment records of tropical lakes can preserve genetic information on rapidly diversifying fish taxa over time scales of millennia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Muschick
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Eliane Jemmi
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Nicholas Lengacher
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie Hänsch
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nathan Wales
- Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Mary A Kishe
- Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Salome Mwaiko
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Jorunn Dieleman
- Limnology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Mark Alexander Lever
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Zurich, Switzerland
- Marine Science Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, Texas, USA
| | | | - Dirk Verschuren
- Limnology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ole Seehausen
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
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25
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Ferrari G, Esselens L, Hart ML, Janssens S, Kidner C, Mascarello M, Peñalba JV, Pezzini F, von Rintelen T, Sonet G, Vangestel C, Virgilio M, Hollingsworth PM. Developing the Protocol Infrastructure for DNA Sequencing Natural History Collections. Biodivers Data J 2023; 11:e102317. [PMID: 38327316 PMCID: PMC10848826 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.11.e102317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Intentionally preserved biological material in natural history collections represents a vast repository of biodiversity. Advances in laboratory and sequencing technologies have made these specimens increasingly accessible for genomic analyses, offering a window into the genetic past of species and often permitting access to information that can no longer be sampled in the wild. Due to their age, preparation and storage conditions, DNA retrieved from museum and herbarium specimens is often poor in yield, heavily fragmented and biochemically modified. This not only poses methodological challenges in recovering nucleotide sequences, but also makes such investigations susceptible to environmental and laboratory contamination. In this paper, we review the practical challenges associated with making the recovery of DNA sequence data from museum collections more routine. We first review key operational principles and issues to address, to guide the decision-making process and dialogue between researchers and curators about when and how to sample museum specimens for genomic analyses. We then outline the range of steps that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of contamination including laboratory set-ups, workflows and working practices. We finish by presenting a series of case studies, each focusing on protocol practicalities for the application of different mainstream methodologies to museum specimens including: (i) shotgun sequencing of insect mitogenomes, (ii) whole genome sequencing of insects, (iii) genome skimming to recover plant plastid genomes from herbarium specimens, (iv) target capture of multi-locus nuclear sequences from herbarium specimens, (v) RAD-sequencing of bird specimens and (vi) shotgun sequencing of ancient bovid bone samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giada Ferrari
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomRoyal Botanic Garden EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Lore Esselens
- Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, BelgiumRoyal Museum for Central AfricaTervurenBelgium
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, BelgiumRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural SciencesBrusselsBelgium
| | - Michelle L Hart
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomRoyal Botanic Garden EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Steven Janssens
- Meise Botanic Garden, Meise, BelgiumMeise Botanic GardenMeiseBelgium
- Leuven Plant Institute, Department of Biology, Leuven, BelgiumLeuven Plant Institute, Department of BiologyLeuvenBelgium
| | - Catherine Kidner
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomRoyal Botanic Garden EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Joshua V Peñalba
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, GermanyMuseum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity ScienceBerlinGermany
| | - Flávia Pezzini
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomRoyal Botanic Garden EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Thomas von Rintelen
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, GermanyMuseum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity ScienceBerlinGermany
| | - Gontran Sonet
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, BelgiumRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural SciencesBrusselsBelgium
| | - Carl Vangestel
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, BelgiumRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural SciencesBrusselsBelgium
| | - Massimiliano Virgilio
- Royal Museum for Central Africa, Department of African Zoology, Tervuren, BelgiumRoyal Museum for Central Africa, Department of African ZoologyTervurenBelgium
| | - Peter M Hollingsworth
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United KingdomRoyal Botanic Garden EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
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26
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Dalén L, Heintzman PD, Kapp JD, Shapiro B. Deep-time paleogenomics and the limits of DNA survival. Science 2023; 382:48-53. [PMID: 37797036 PMCID: PMC10586222 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh7943] [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: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Although most ancient DNA studies have focused on the last 50,000 years, paleogenomic approaches can now reach into the early Pleistocene, an epoch of repeated environmental changes that shaped present-day biodiversity. Emerging deep-time genomic transects, including from DNA preserved in sediments, will enable inference of adaptive evolution, discovery of unrecognized species, and exploration of how glaciations, volcanism, and paleomagnetic reversals shaped demography and community composition. In this Review, we explore the state-of-the-art in paleogenomics and discuss key challenges, including technical limitations, evolutionary divergence and associated biases, and the need for more precise dating of remains and sediments. We conclude that with improvements in laboratory and computational methods, the emerging field of deep-time paleogenomics will expand the range of questions addressable using ancient DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Love Dalén
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-10691, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE- 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peter D. Heintzman
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joshua D. Kapp
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz; Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz; Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA
| | - Beth Shapiro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz; Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Santa Cruz; Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA
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27
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Menéndez LP, Barbieri C, López Cruz IG, Schmelzle T, Breidenstein A, Barquera R, Borzi G, Schuenemann VJ, Sánchez-Villagra MR. On Roth's "human fossil" from Baradero, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina: morphological and genetic analysis. SWISS JOURNAL OF PALAEONTOLOGY 2023; 142:26. [PMID: 37810206 PMCID: PMC10550872 DOI: 10.1186/s13358-023-00293-3] [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: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The "human fossil" from Baradero, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, is a collection of skeleton parts first recovered by the paleontologist Santiago Roth and further studied by the anthropologist Rudolf Martin. By the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century it was considered one of the oldest human skeletons from South America's southern cone. Here, we present the results of an interdisciplinary approach to study and contextualize the ancient individual remains. We discuss the context of the finding by first compiling the available evidence associated with the historical information and any previous scientific publications on this individual. Then, we conducted an osteobiographical assessment, by which we evaluated the sex, age, and overall preservation of the skeleton based on morphological features. To obtain a 3D virtual reconstruction of the skull, we performed high resolution CT-scans on selected skull fragments and the mandible. This was followed by the extraction of bone tissue and tooth samples for radiocarbon and genetic analyses, which brought only limited results due to poor preservation and possible contamination. We estimate that the individual from Baradero is a middle-aged adult male. We conclude that the revision of foundational collections with current methodological tools brings new insights and clarifies long held assumptions on the significance of samples that were recovered when archaeology was not yet professionalized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lumila Paula Menéndez
- Department for the Anthropology of the Americas, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Chiara Barbieri
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Thomas Schmelzle
- Department of Paleontology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Abagail Breidenstein
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, USA
| | - Rodrigo Barquera
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Guido Borzi
- Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas, La Plata, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
- Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas, CONICET-UNLP, La Plata, Argentina
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28
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Pusadkar V, Azad RK. Benchmarking Metagenomic Classifiers on Simulated Ancient and Modern Metagenomic Data. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2478. [PMID: 37894136 PMCID: PMC10609333 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11102478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Taxonomic profiling of ancient metagenomic samples is challenging due to the accumulation of specific damage patterns on DNA over time. Although a number of methods for metagenome profiling have been developed, most of them have been assessed on modern metagenomes or simulated metagenomes mimicking modern metagenomes. Further, a comparative assessment of metagenome profilers on simulated metagenomes representing a spectrum of degradation depth, from the extremity of ancient (most degraded) to current or modern (not degraded) metagenomes, has not yet been performed. To understand the strengths and weaknesses of different metagenome profilers, we performed their comprehensive evaluation on simulated metagenomes representing human dental calculus microbiome, with the level of DNA damage successively raised to mimic modern to ancient metagenomes. All classes of profilers, namely, DNA-to-DNA, DNA-to-protein, and DNA-to-marker comparison-based profilers were evaluated on metagenomes with varying levels of damage simulating deamination, fragmentation, and contamination. Our results revealed that, compared to deamination and fragmentation, human and environmental contamination of ancient DNA (with modern DNA) has the most pronounced effect on the performance of each profiler. Further, the DNA-to-DNA (e.g., Kraken2, Bracken) and DNA-to-marker (e.g., MetaPhlAn4) based profiling approaches showed complementary strengths, which can be leveraged to elevate the state-of-the-art of ancient metagenome profiling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaidehi Pusadkar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA;
- BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA
| | - Rajeev K. Azad
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA;
- BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA
- Department of Mathematics, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA
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29
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Shpak M, Ghanavi HR, Lange JD, Pool JE, Stensmyr MC. Genomes from historical Drosophila melanogaster specimens illuminate adaptive and demographic changes across more than 200 years of evolution. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002333. [PMID: 37824452 PMCID: PMC10569592 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to perform genomic sequencing on long-dead organisms is opening new frontiers in evolutionary research. These opportunities are especially notable in the case of museum collections, from which countless documented specimens may now be suitable for genomic analysis-if data of sufficient quality can be obtained. Here, we report 25 newly sequenced genomes from museum specimens of the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, including the oldest extant specimens of this species. By comparing historical samples ranging from the early 1800s to 1933 against modern-day genomes, we document evolution across thousands of generations, including time periods that encompass the species' initial occupation of northern Europe and an era of rapidly increasing human activity. We also find that the Lund, Sweden population underwent local genetic differentiation during the early 1800s to 1933 interval (potentially due to drift in a small population) but then became more similar to other European populations thereafter (potentially due to increased migration). Within each century-scale time period, our temporal sampling allows us to document compelling candidates for recent natural selection. In some cases, we gain insights regarding previously implicated selection candidates, such as ChKov1, for which our inferred timing of selection favors the hypothesis of antiviral resistance over insecticide resistance. Other candidates are novel, such as the circadian-related gene Ahcy, which yields a selection signal that rivals that of the DDT resistance gene Cyp6g1. These insights deepen our understanding of recent evolution in a model system, and highlight the potential of future museomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Shpak
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | | | - Jeremy D. Lange
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - John E. Pool
- Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Marcus C. Stensmyr
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Scania, Sweden
- Max Planck Center on Next Generation Insect Chemical Ecology, Lund, Sweden
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30
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Haarkötter C, Vinueza-Espinosa DC, Gálvez X, Saiz M, Medina-Lozano MI, Lorente JA, Álvarez JC. A comparison between petrous bone and tooth, femur and tibia DNA analysis from degraded skeletal remains. Electrophoresis 2023; 44:1559-1568. [PMID: 37469183 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202300097] [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: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Skeletal remains are the only biological material that remains after long periods; however, environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and pH affect DNA preservation, turning skeletal remains into a challenging sample for DNA laboratories. Sample selection is a key factor, and femur and tooth have been traditionally recommended as the best substrate of genetic material. Recently, petrous bone (cochlear area) has been suggested as a better option due to its DNA yield. This research aims to evaluate the efficiency of petrous bone compared to other cranium samples (tooth) and postcranial long bones (femur and tibia). A total amount of 88 samples were selected from 38 different individuals. The samples were extracted by using an organic extraction protocol, DNA quantification by Quantifiler Trio kit and amplified with GlobalFiler kit. Results show that petrous bone outperforms other bone remains in quantification data, yielding 15-30 times more DNA than the others. DNA profile data presented likeness between petrous bone and tooth regarding detected alleles; however, the amount of DNA extracted in petrous bones allowed us to obtain more informative DNA profiles with superior quality. In conclusion, petrous bone or teeth sampling is recommended if DNA typing is going to be performed with environmentally degraded skeletal remains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Haarkötter
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Diana C Vinueza-Espinosa
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Xiomara Gálvez
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - María Saiz
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - María Isabel Medina-Lozano
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - José Antonio Lorente
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Álvarez
- Laboratory of Genetic Identification, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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31
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Grathwol F, Roos C, Zinner D, Hume B, Porcier SM, Berthet D, Cuisin J, Merker S, Ottoni C, Van Neer W, Dominy NJ, Kopp GH. Adulis and the transshipment of baboons during classical antiquity. eLife 2023; 12:e87513. [PMID: 37767965 PMCID: PMC10597581 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87513] [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: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Adulis, located on the Red Sea coast in present-day Eritrea, was a bustling trading centre between the first and seventh centuries CE. Several classical geographers-Agatharchides of Cnidus, Pliny the Elder, Strabo-noted the value of Adulis to Greco-Roman Egypt, particularly as an emporium for living animals, including baboons (Papio spp.). Though fragmentary, these accounts predict the Adulite origins of mummified baboons in Ptolemaic catacombs, while inviting questions on the geoprovenance of older (Late Period) baboons recovered from Gabbanat el-Qurud ('Valley of the Monkeys'), Egypt. Dated to ca. 800-540 BCE, these animals could extend the antiquity of Egyptian-Adulite trade by as much as five centuries. Previously, Dominy et al. (2020) used stable isotope analysis to show that two New Kingdom specimens of Papio hamadryas originate from the Horn of Africa. Here, we report the complete mitochondrial genomes from a mummified baboon from Gabbanat el-Qurud and 14 museum specimens with known provenance together with published georeferenced mitochondrial sequence data. Phylogenetic assignment connects the mummified baboon to modern populations of P. hamadryas in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and eastern Sudan. This result, assuming geographical stability of phylogenetic clades, corroborates Greco-Roman historiographies by pointing toward present-day Eritrea, and by extension Adulis, as a source of baboons for Late Period Egyptians. It also establishes geographic continuity with baboons from the fabled Land of Punt (Dominy et al., 2020), giving weight to speculation that Punt and Adulis were essentially the same trading centres separated by a thousand years of history.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Roos
- Gene Bank of Primates and Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
| | - Dietmar Zinner
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
- Department of Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
- Leibniz-ScienceCampus Primate CognitionGöttingenGermany
| | - Benjamin Hume
- Department of Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- SequAna – Sequencing Analysis Core Facility, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Stéphanie M Porcier
- Laboratoire CNRS ASM « Archéologie des Sociétés Méditerranéennes » (UMR 5140), Université Paul-Valéry, LabEx ArchimedeMontpellierFrance
| | | | | | - Stefan Merker
- Department of Zoology, State Museum of Natural History StuttgartStuttgartGermany
| | - Claudio Ottoni
- Centre of Molecular Anthropology for Ancient DNA Studies, Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor VergataRomeItaly
| | - Wim Van Neer
- Royal Belgian Institute of Natural SciencesBrusselsBelgium
- Department of Biology, KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Nathaniel J Dominy
- Departments of Anthropology and Biological Sciences, Dartmouth CollegeHanoverUnited States
- Zukunftskolleg, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Gisela H Kopp
- Department of Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Zukunftskolleg, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorKonstanzGermany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
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32
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Radaic A, Shamir ER, Jones K, Villa A, Garud NR, Tward AD, Kamarajan P, Kapila YL. Specific Oral Microbial Differences in Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes Are Associated with Distinct Sites When Moving from Healthy Mucosa to Oral Dysplasia-A Microbiome and Gene Profiling Study and Focused Review. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2250. [PMID: 37764094 PMCID: PMC10534919 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11092250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are a group of conditions that carry a risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) development. Recent studies indicate that periodontal disease-associated pathogenic bacteria may play a role in the transition from healthy mucosa to dysplasia and to OSCC. Yet, the microbial signatures associated with the transition from healthy mucosa to dysplasia have not been established. To characterize oral microbial signatures at these different sites, we performed a 16S sequencing analysis of both oral swab and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue (FFPE) samples. We collected oral swabs from healthy mucosa (from healthy patients), histologically normal mucosa adjacent to dysplasia, and low-grade oral dysplasia. Additionally, FFPE samples from histologically normal mucosa adjacent to OSCC, plus low grade and high-grade oral dysplasia samples were also collected. The collected data demonstrate significant differences in the alpha and beta microbial diversities of different sites in oral mucosa, dysplasia, and OSCC, as well as increased dissimilarities within these sites. We found that the Proteobacteria phyla abundance increased, concurrent with a progressive decrease in the Firmicutes phyla abundance, as well as altered levels of Enterococcus cecorum, Fusobacterium periodonticum, Prevotella melaninogenica, and Fusobacterium canifelinum when moving from healthy to diseased sites. Moreover, the swab sample analysis indicates that the oral microbiome may be altered in areas that are histologically normal, including in mucosa adjacent to dysplasia. Furthermore, trends in specific microbiome changes in oral swab samples preceded those in the tissues, signifying early detection opportunities for clinical diagnosis. In addition, we evaluated the gene expression profile of OSCC cells (HSC-3) infected with either P. gingivalis, T. denticola, F. nucelatum, or S. sanguinis and found that the three periodontopathogens enrich genetic processes related to cancer progression, including skin keratinization/cornification, while the commensal enriched processes related to RNA processing and adhesion. Finally, we reviewed the dysplasia microbiome literature and found a significant decrease in commensal bacteria, such as the Streptococci genus, and a simultaneous increase in pathogenic bacteria, mainly Bacteroidetes phyla and Fusobacterium genus. These findings suggest that features of the oral microbiome can serve as novel biomarkers for dysplasia and OSCC disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan Radaic
- School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (A.R.); (P.K.)
- School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; (K.J.); (A.V.)
| | - Eliah R. Shamir
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; (E.R.S.); (A.D.T.)
- Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Kyle Jones
- School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; (K.J.); (A.V.)
- Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Alessandro Villa
- School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; (K.J.); (A.V.)
- Miami Cancer Institute, Baptist Health South Florida, Miami, FL 33176, USA
| | - Nandita R. Garud
- College of Life Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Aaron D. Tward
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; (E.R.S.); (A.D.T.)
| | - Pachiyappan Kamarajan
- School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (A.R.); (P.K.)
- School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; (K.J.); (A.V.)
| | - Yvonne L. Kapila
- School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (A.R.); (P.K.)
- School of Dentistry, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; (K.J.); (A.V.)
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33
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Hodgins HP, Chen P, Lobb B, Wei X, Tremblay BJM, Mansfield MJ, Lee VCY, Lee PG, Coffin J, Duggan AT, Dolphin AE, Renaud G, Dong M, Doxey AC. Ancient Clostridium DNA and variants of tetanus neurotoxins associated with human archaeological remains. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5475. [PMID: 37673908 PMCID: PMC10482840 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41174-0] [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: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The analysis of microbial genomes from human archaeological samples offers a historic snapshot of ancient pathogens and provides insights into the origins of modern infectious diseases. Here, we analyze metagenomic datasets from 38 human archaeological samples and identify bacterial genomic sequences related to modern-day Clostridium tetani, which produces the tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT) and causes the disease tetanus. These genomic assemblies had varying levels of completeness, and a subset of them displayed hallmarks of ancient DNA damage. Phylogenetic analyses revealed known C. tetani clades as well as potentially new Clostridium lineages closely related to C. tetani. The genomic assemblies encode 13 TeNT variants with unique substitution profiles, including a subgroup of TeNT variants found exclusively in ancient samples from South America. We experimentally tested a TeNT variant selected from an ancient Chilean mummy sample and found that it induced tetanus muscle paralysis in mice, with potency comparable to modern TeNT. Thus, our ancient DNA analysis identifies DNA from neurotoxigenic C. tetani in archaeological human samples, and a novel variant of TeNT that can cause disease in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold P Hodgins
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Pengsheng Chen
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery and Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Briallen Lobb
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Xin Wei
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Benjamin J M Tremblay
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Michael J Mansfield
- Genomics and Regulatory Systems Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Victoria C Y Lee
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Pyung-Gang Lee
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery and Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jeffrey Coffin
- Department of Anthropology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Ana T Duggan
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Alexis E Dolphin
- Department of Anthropology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Gabriel Renaud
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Bioinformatics, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Min Dong
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Surgery and Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Andrew C Doxey
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
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Vinueza-Espinosa DC, Cuesta-Aguirre DR, Malgosa A, Santos C. Mitochondrial DNA control region typing from highly degraded skeletal remains by single-multiplex next-generation sequencing. Electrophoresis 2023; 44:1423-1434. [PMID: 37379235 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202200052] [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: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Poor nuclear DNA preservation from highly degraded skeletal remains is the most limiting factor for the genetic identification of individuals. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) typing, and especially of the control region (CR), using next-generation sequencing (NGS), enables retrieval of valuable genetic information in forensic contexts where highly degraded human skeletal remains are the only source of genetic material. Currently, NGS commercial kits can type all mtDNA-CR in fewer steps than the conventional Sanger technique. The PowerSeq CRM Nested System kit (Promega Corporation) employs a nested multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) strategy to amplify and index all mtDNA-CR in a single reaction. Our study analyzes the success of mtDNA-CR typing of highly degraded human skeletons using the PowerSeq CRM Nested System kit. We used samples from 41 individuals from different time periods to test three protocols (M1, M2, and M3) based on modifications of PCR conditions. To analyze the detected variants, two bioinformatic procedures were compared: an in-house pipeline and the GeneMarker HTS software. The results showed that many samples were not analyzed when the standard protocol (M1) was used. In contrast, the M3 protocol, which includes 35 PCR cycles and longer denaturation and extension steps, successfully recovered the mtDNA-CR from highly degraded skeletal samples. Mixed base profiles and the percentage of damaged reads were both indicators of possible contamination and can provide better results if used together. Furthermore, our freely available in-house pipeline can provide variants concordant with the forensic software.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana C Vinueza-Espinosa
- Research Group in Biological Anthropology, Biological Anthropology Unit, Department of Animal Biology, Vegetal Biology and Ecology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Daniel R Cuesta-Aguirre
- Research Group in Biological Anthropology, Biological Anthropology Unit, Department of Animal Biology, Vegetal Biology and Ecology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Assumpció Malgosa
- Research Group in Biological Anthropology, Biological Anthropology Unit, Department of Animal Biology, Vegetal Biology and Ecology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Cristina Santos
- Research Group in Biological Anthropology, Biological Anthropology Unit, Department of Animal Biology, Vegetal Biology and Ecology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
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35
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Ciucani MM, Ramos-Madrigal J, Hernández-Alonso G, Carmagnini A, Aninta SG, Sun X, Scharff-Olsen CH, Lanigan LT, Fracasso I, Clausen CG, Aspi J, Kojola I, Baltrūnaitė L, Balčiauskas L, Moore J, Åkesson M, Saarma U, Hindrikson M, Hulva P, Bolfíková BČ, Nowak C, Godinho R, Smith S, Paule L, Nowak S, Mysłajek RW, Lo Brutto S, Ciucci P, Boitani L, Vernesi C, Stenøien HK, Smith O, Frantz L, Rossi L, Angelici FM, Cilli E, Sinding MHS, Gilbert MTP, Gopalakrishnan S. The extinct Sicilian wolf shows a complex history of isolation and admixture with ancient dogs. iScience 2023; 26:107307. [PMID: 37559898 PMCID: PMC10407145 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107307] [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: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The Sicilian wolf remained isolated in Sicily from the end of the Pleistocene until its extermination in the 1930s-1960s. Given its long-term isolation on the island and distinctive morphology, the genetic origin of the Sicilian wolf remains debated. We sequenced four nuclear genomes and five mitogenomes from the seven existing museum specimens to investigate the Sicilian wolf ancestry, relationships with extant and extinct wolves and dogs, and diversity. Our results show that the Sicilian wolf is most closely related to the Italian wolf but carries ancestry from a lineage related to European Eneolithic and Bronze Age dogs. The average nucleotide diversity of the Sicilian wolf was half of the Italian wolf, with 37-50% of its genome contained in runs of homozygosity. Overall, we show that, by the time it went extinct, the Sicilian wolf had high inbreeding and low-genetic diversity, consistent with a population in an insular environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Maria Ciucani
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jazmín Ramos-Madrigal
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Germán Hernández-Alonso
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alberto Carmagnini
- Palaeogenomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Sabhrina Gita Aninta
- Palaeogenomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Xin Sun
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Liam Thomas Lanigan
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ilaria Fracasso
- Forest Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige (TN), Italy
| | - Cecilie G. Clausen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jouni Aspi
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Finland
| | - Ilpo Kojola
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Rovaniemi, Finland
| | | | | | - Jane Moore
- Società Amatori Cirneco dell’Etna, Modica (RG), Italy
| | - Mikael Åkesson
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Urmas Saarma
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Maris Hindrikson
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Pavel Hulva
- Charles University, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | | | - Carsten Nowak
- Center for Wildlife Genetics, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Gelnhausen, Germany
| | - Raquel Godinho
- CIBIO/InBIO, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Steve Smith
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ladislav Paule
- Faculty of Forestry, Technical University, Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - Sabina Nowak
- Department of Ecology, Institute of Functional Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Robert W. Mysłajek
- Department of Ecology, Institute of Functional Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Sabrina Lo Brutto
- Department of Biological, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- Museum of Zoology "P. Doderlein", SIMUA, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Paolo Ciucci
- Università di Roma La Sapienza, Department Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Roma, Italy
| | - Luigi Boitani
- Università di Roma La Sapienza, Department Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Roma, Italy
| | - Cristiano Vernesi
- Forest Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige (TN), Italy
| | - Hans K. Stenøien
- NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Oliver Smith
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laurent Frantz
- Palaeogenomics Group, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | - Francesco Maria Angelici
- FIZV, Via Marco Aurelio 2, Roma, Italy
- National Center for Wildlife, Al Imam Faisal Ibn Turki Ibn Abdullah, Ulaishah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Elisabetta Cilli
- Laboratory of Ancient DNA, Department of Cultural Heritage (DBC), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mikkel-Holger S. Sinding
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M. Thomas P. Gilbert
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Shyam Gopalakrishnan
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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36
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Ferraz T, Suarez Villagran X, Nägele K, Radzevičiūtė R, Barbosa Lemes R, Salazar-García DC, Wesolowski V, Lopes Alves M, Bastos M, Rapp Py-Daniel A, Pinto Lima H, Mendes Cardoso J, Estevam R, Liryo A, Guimarães GM, Figuti L, Eggers S, Plens CR, Azevedo Erler DM, Valadares Costa HA, da Silva Erler I, Koole E, Henriques G, Solari A, Martin G, Serafim Monteiro da Silva SF, Kipnis R, Müller LM, Ferreira M, Carvalho Resende J, Chim E, da Silva CA, Borella AC, Tomé T, Müller Plumm Gomes L, Barros Fonseca D, Santos da Rosa C, de Moura Saldanha JD, Costa Leite L, Cunha CMS, Viana SA, Ozorio Almeida F, Klokler D, Fernandes HLA, Talamo S, DeBlasis P, Mendonça de Souza S, de Paula Moraes C, Elias Oliveira R, Hünemeier T, Strauss A, Posth C. Genomic history of coastal societies from eastern South America. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1315-1330. [PMID: 37524799 PMCID: PMC10406606 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02114-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Sambaqui (shellmound) societies are among the most intriguing archaeological phenomena in pre-colonial South America, extending from approximately 8,000 to 1,000 years before present (yr BP) across 3,000 km on the Atlantic coast. However, little is known about their connection to early Holocene hunter-gatherers, how this may have contributed to different historical pathways and the processes through which late Holocene ceramists came to rule the coast shortly before European contact. To contribute to our understanding of the population history of indigenous societies on the eastern coast of South America, we produced genome-wide data from 34 ancient individuals as early as 10,000 yr BP from four different regions in Brazil. Early Holocene hunter-gatherers were found to lack shared genetic drift among themselves and with later populations from eastern South America, suggesting that they derived from a common radiation and did not contribute substantially to later coastal groups. Our analyses show genetic heterogeneity among contemporaneous Sambaqui groups from the southeastern and southern Brazilian coast, contrary to the similarity expressed in the archaeological record. The complex history of intercultural contact between inland horticulturists and coastal populations becomes genetically evident during the final horizon of Sambaqui societies, from around 2,200 yr BP, corroborating evidence of cultural change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Ferraz
- Institute of Biosciences, Genetics Department, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Kathrin Nägele
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rita Radzevičiūtė
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Renan Barbosa Lemes
- Institute of Biosciences, Genetics Department, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Domingo C Salazar-García
- Departament de Prehistòria, Arqueologia i Història Antiga, Universitat de València, València, Spain
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Verônica Wesolowski
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcony Lopes Alves
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Murilo Bastos
- Departamento de Antropologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | - Jéssica Mendes Cardoso
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, UMR 5563, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Renata Estevam
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andersen Liryo
- National Museum, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Geovan M Guimarães
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Educação Patrimonial e Arqueologia (Grupep), Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Levy Figuti
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Cláudia R Plens
- Laboratory of Archaeological Studies, Department of History, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Ana Solari
- Fundação Museu do Homem Americano, Piauí, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Letícia Morgana Müller
- Scientia Consultoria Científica, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Mariane Ferreira
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Scientia Consultoria Científica, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Janine Carvalho Resende
- Instituto Goiano de Pré-história e Arqueologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Eliane Chim
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Ana Claudia Borella
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tiago Tomé
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Lisiane Müller Plumm Gomes
- Institute of Biosciences, Genetics Department, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - João Darcy de Moura Saldanha
- Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal
- Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Estado do Amapá (IEPA), Macapá, Brazil
| | - Lúcio Costa Leite
- Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Estado do Amapá (IEPA), Macapá, Brazil
| | - Claudia M S Cunha
- Federal University of Piauí, Piauí, Brazil
- Centro de Investigação em Antropologia e Saúde, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sibeli Aparecida Viana
- Instituto Goiano de Pré-história e Arqueologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Fernando Ozorio Almeida
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arqueologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Sergipe, Brazil
- Departamento de Arqueologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Daniela Klokler
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arqueologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Sergipe, Brazil
- Departamento de Antropologia e Arqueologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Henry Luydy Abraham Fernandes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arqueologia e Patrimônio Cultural, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Sahra Talamo
- Department of Chemistry G. Ciamician, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Paulo DeBlasis
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Rodrigo Elias Oliveira
- Institute of Biosciences, Genetics Department, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tábita Hünemeier
- Institute of Biosciences, Genetics Department, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, CSIC/Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - André Strauss
- Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Cosimo Posth
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Archaeo- and Palaeogenetics, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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37
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Mármol-Sánchez E, Fromm B, Oskolkov N, Pochon Z, Kalogeropoulos P, Eriksson E, Biryukova I, Sekar V, Ersmark E, Andersson B, Dalén L, Friedländer MR. Historical RNA expression profiles from the extinct Tasmanian tiger. Genome Res 2023; 33:1299-1316. [PMID: 37463752 PMCID: PMC10552650 DOI: 10.1101/gr.277663.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Paleogenomics continues to yield valuable insights into the evolution, population dynamics, and ecology of our ancestors and other extinct species. However, DNA sequencing cannot reveal tissue-specific gene expression, cellular identity, or gene regulation, which are only attainable at the transcriptional level. Pioneering studies have shown that useful RNA can be extracted from ancient specimens preserved in permafrost and historical skins from extant canids, but no attempts have been made so far on extinct species. We extract, sequence, and analyze historical RNA from muscle and skin tissue of a ∼130-year-old Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) preserved in desiccation at room temperature in a museum collection. The transcriptional profiles closely resemble those of extant species, revealing specific anatomical features such as slow muscle fibers or blood infiltration. Metatranscriptomic analysis, RNA damage, tissue-specific RNA profiles, and expression hotspots genome-wide further confirm the thylacine origin of the sequences. RNA sequences are used to improve protein-coding and noncoding annotations, evidencing missing exonic loci and the location of ribosomal RNA genes while increasing the number of annotated thylacine microRNAs from 62 to 325. We discover a thylacine-specific microRNA isoform that could not have been confirmed without RNA evidence. Finally, we detect traces of RNA viruses, suggesting the possibility of profiling viral evolution. Our results represent the first successful attempt to obtain transcriptional profiles from an extinct animal species, providing thought-to-be-lost information on gene expression dynamics. These findings hold promising implications for the study of RNA molecules across the vast collections of natural history museums and from well-preserved permafrost remains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio Mármol-Sánchez
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, 114 18 Stockholm, Sweden;
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bastian Fromm
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, 114 18 Stockholm, Sweden
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, 9006 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Nikolay Oskolkov
- Department of Biology, National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, Science for Life Laboratory, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Zoé Pochon
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Panagiotis Kalogeropoulos
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, 114 18 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eli Eriksson
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, 114 18 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Inna Biryukova
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, 114 18 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Vaishnovi Sekar
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, 114 18 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Erik Ersmark
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Björn Andersson
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB), Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Love Dalén
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden;
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marc R Friedländer
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, 114 18 Stockholm, Sweden;
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38
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Campos PE, Pruvost O, Boyer K, Chiroleu F, Cao TT, Gaudeul M, Baider C, Utteridge TMA, Becker N, Rieux A, Gagnevin L. Herbarium specimen sequencing allows precise dating of Xanthomonas citri pv. citri diversification history. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4306. [PMID: 37474518 PMCID: PMC10359311 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39950-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Herbarium collections are an important source of dated, identified and preserved DNA, whose use in comparative genomics and phylogeography can shed light on the emergence and evolutionary history of plant pathogens. Here, we reconstruct 13 historical genomes of the bacterial crop pathogen Xanthomonas citri pv. citri (Xci) from infected Citrus herbarium specimens. Following authentication based on ancient DNA damage patterns, we compare them with a large set of modern genomes to estimate their phylogenetic relationships, pathogenicity-associated gene content and several evolutionary parameters. Our results indicate that Xci originated in Southern Asia ~11,500 years ago (perhaps in relation to Neolithic climate change and the development of agriculture) and diversified during the beginning of the 13th century, after Citrus diversification and before spreading to the rest of the world (probably via human-driven expansion of citriculture through early East-West trade and colonization).
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola E Campos
- CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, F-97410, St Pierre, La Réunion, France
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISyEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, 75005, Paris, France
| | | | - Karine Boyer
- CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, F-97410, St Pierre, La Réunion, France
| | | | - Thuy Trang Cao
- CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, F-97410, St Pierre, La Réunion, France
| | - Myriam Gaudeul
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISyEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, 75005, Paris, France
- Herbier national, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CP39, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Cláudia Baider
- The Mauritius Herbarium, Agricultural Services, Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, R.E. Vaughan Building (MSIRI Compound), Reduit, 80835, Mauritius
| | | | - Nathalie Becker
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISyEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Adrien Rieux
- CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, F-97410, St Pierre, La Réunion, France.
| | - Lionel Gagnevin
- PHIM Plant Health Institute, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, IRD, Montpellier, France.
- CIRAD, UMR PHIM, Montpellier, France.
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39
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Inkret J, Zupanc T, Zupanič Pajnič I. A Multisample Approach in Forensic Phenotyping of Chronological Old Skeletal Remains Using Massive Parallel Sequencing (MPS) Technology. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1449. [PMID: 37510353 PMCID: PMC10379588 DOI: 10.3390/genes14071449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
It is very important to generate phenotypic results that are reliable when processing chronological old skeletal remains for cases involving the identification of missing persons. To improve the success of pigmentation prediction in Second World War victims, three bones from each of the eight skeletons analyzed were included in the study, which makes it possible to generate a consensus profile. The PowerQuant System was used for quantification, the ESI 17 Fast System was used for STR typing, and a customized version of the HIrisPlex panel was used for PCR-MPS. The HID Ion Chef Instrument was used for library preparation and templating. Sequencing was performed with the Ion GeneStudio S5 System. Identical full profiles and identical hair and eye color predictions were achieved from three bones analyzed per skeleton. Blue eye color was predicted in five skeletons and brown in three skeletons. Blond hair color was predicted in one skeleton, blond to dark blond in three skeletons, brown to dark brown in two skeletons, and dark brown to black in two skeletons. The reproducibility and reliability of the results proved the multisample analysis method to be beneficial for phenotyping chronological old skeletons because differences in DNA yields in different bone types provide a greater possibility of obtaining a better-quality consensus profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jezerka Inkret
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Korytkova 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tomaž Zupanc
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Korytkova 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Zupanič Pajnič
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Korytkova 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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40
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Creydt M, Fischer M. Artefact Profiling: Panomics Approaches for Understanding the Materiality of Written Artefacts. Molecules 2023; 28:4872. [PMID: 37375427 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28124872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This review explains the strategies behind genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, metallomics and isotopolomics approaches and their applicability to written artefacts. The respective sub-chapters give an insight into the analytical procedure and the conclusions drawn from such analyses. A distinction is made between information that can be obtained from the materials used in the respective manuscript and meta-information that cannot be obtained from the manuscript itself, but from residues of organisms such as bacteria or the authors and readers. In addition, various sampling techniques are discussed in particular, which pose a special challenge in manuscripts. The focus is on high-resolution, non-targeted strategies that can be used to extract the maximum amount of information about ancient objects. The combination of the various omics disciplines (panomics) especially offers potential added value in terms of the best possible interpretations of the data received. The information obtained can be used to understand the production of ancient artefacts, to gain impressions of former living conditions, to prove their authenticity, to assess whether there is a toxic hazard in handling the manuscripts, and to be able to determine appropriate measures for their conservation and restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Creydt
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Hamburg School of Food Science, University of Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence, Understanding Written Artefacts, University of Hamburg, Warburgstraße 26, 20354 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Fischer
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Hamburg School of Food Science, University of Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence, Understanding Written Artefacts, University of Hamburg, Warburgstraße 26, 20354 Hamburg, Germany
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41
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Bonfigli A, Cesare P, Volpe AR, Colafarina S, Forgione A, Aloisi M, Zarivi O, Poma AMG. Estimation of DNA Degradation in Archaeological Human Remains. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1238. [PMID: 37372418 DOI: 10.3390/genes14061238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The evaluation of the integrity and quantity of DNA extracted from archaeological human remains is a fundamental step before using the latest generation sequencing techniques in the study of evolutionary processes. Ancient DNA is highly fragmented and chemically modified; therefore, the present study aims to identify indices that can allow the identification of potentially amplifiable and sequenceable DNA samples, reducing failures and research costs. Ancient DNA was extracted from five human bone remains from the archaeological site of Amiternum L'Aquila, Italy dating back to the 9th-12th century and was compared with standard DNA fragmented by sonication. Given the different degradation kinetics of mitochondrial DNA compared to nuclear DNA, the mitochondrially encoded 12s RNA and 18s ribosomal RNA genes were taken into consideration; fragments of various sizes were amplified in qPCR and the size distribution was thoroughly investigated. DNA damage degree was evaluated by calculating damage frequency (λ) and the ratio between the amount of the different fragments and that of the smallest fragment (Q). The results demonstrate that both indices were found to be suitable for identifying, among the samples tested, those less damaged and suitable for post-extraction analysis; mitochondrial DNA is more damaged than nuclear, in fact, amplicons up to 152 bp and 253 bp, respectively are obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Bonfigli
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Patrizia Cesare
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Anna Rita Volpe
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Sabrina Colafarina
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Alfonso Forgione
- Department of Human Studies, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Massimo Aloisi
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Osvaldo Zarivi
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy
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42
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Fattorini P, Previderè C, Livieri T, Zupanc T, Pajnič IZ. SNP analysis of challenging bone DNA samples using the HID-Ion AmpliSeq™ Identity Panel: facts and artefacts. Int J Legal Med 2023:10.1007/s00414-023-03019-9. [PMID: 37212920 PMCID: PMC10247551 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03019-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
PCR-MPS is an emerging tool for the analysis of low-quality DNA samples. In this study, we used PCR-MPS to analyse 32 challenging bone DNA samples from three Second World War victims, which previously yielded no results in conventional STR PCR-CE typing. The Identity Panel was used with 27 cycles of PCR. Despite that we only had an average of 6.8 pg of degraded DNA as template, 30 out of 32 libraries (93.8%) produced sequencing data for about 63/90 autosomal markers per sample. Out of the 30 libraries, 14 (46.7%) yielded single source genetic profiles in agreement with the biological identity of the donor, whereas 12 cases (40.0%) resulted in SNP profiles that did not match or were mixed. The misleading outcomes for those 12 cases were likely due to hidden exogenous human contamination, as shown by the higher frequencies of allelic imbalance, unusual high frequencies of allelic drop-ins, high heterozygosity levels in the consensus profiles generated from challenging samples, and traces of amplified molecular products in four out of eight extraction negative controls. Even if the source and the time of the contamination were not identified, it is likely that it occurred along the multi-step bone processing workflow. Our results suggest that only positive identification by statistical tools (e.g. likelihood ratio) should be accepted as reliable; oppositely, the results leading to exclusion should be treated as inconclusive because of potential contamination issues. Finally, strategies are discussed for monitoring the workflow of extremely challenging bone samples in PCR-MPS experiments with an increased number of PCR cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Fattorini
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Carlo Previderè
- Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, Section of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Tommaso Livieri
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Tomaž Zupanc
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Irena Zupanič Pajnič
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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43
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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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44
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Kimsis J, Petersone-Gordina E, Poksane A, Vilcāne A, Moore J, Gerhards G, Ranka R. Application of natural sciences methodology in archaeological study of Iron Age burials in Latvia: pilot study. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2023; 19:8-15. [PMID: 36348137 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-022-00553-7] [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] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Natural sciences provide several modern methodologies that could be successfully applied in archaeological studies. In this pilot study, archaeological human remains from two Iron Age cemeteries (7th-twelfth centuries AD), Lejasbitēni and Čunkāni-Dreņģeri, which are located in different regions of Latvia, were studied. We applied ancient DNA (aDNA) and tooth enamel peptide analysis to determine the biological sex of the individuals. In addition, aDNA analysis was used to perform mtDNA haplogroup analysis. In most cases, the results of aDNA analysis regarding the biological sex of individuals coincided with the gender assigned based on grave orientation and grave goods. The results of sex determination using peptide analysis in all four individuals for whom data were available matched the possible gender. Of the 17 samples that had sufficient DNA for sequencing, seven samples had enough reads to perform mtDNA haplogroup analysis. The H2a2a, I4a1, H2a2a1, and H16c mtDNA haplogroups were identified in the individuals from the Lejasbitēni cemetery, while the T2b and K1a + 150 mtDNA haplogroups were identified in the individuals from the Čunkāni-Dreņģeri cemetery. Overall, the obtained results demonstrated the feasibility of applying aDNA and tooth enamel peptide analysis for biological sex determination within archaeological studies. The availability of human aDNA data will be highly useful for investigating the demographic history and social structures in Iron Age Latvia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janis Kimsis
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, Latvia
| | | | - Alise Poksane
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, Latvia
| | - Antonija Vilcāne
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
| | - Joanna Moore
- Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Guntis Gerhards
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
| | - Renate Ranka
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, Latvia.
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45
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Dalal V, Pasupuleti N, Chaubey G, Rai N, Shinde V. Advancements and Challenges in Ancient DNA Research: Bridging the Global North-South Divide. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:479. [PMID: 36833406 PMCID: PMC9956214 DOI: 10.3390/genes14020479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Ancient DNA (aDNA) research first began in 1984 and ever since has greatly expanded our understanding of evolution and migration. Today, aDNA analysis is used to solve various puzzles about the origin of mankind, migration patterns, and the spread of infectious diseases. The incredible findings ranging from identifying the new branches within the human family to studying the genomes of extinct flora and fauna have caught the world by surprise in recent times. However, a closer look at these published results points out a clear Global North and Global South divide. Therefore, through this research, we aim to emphasize encouraging better collaborative opportunities and technology transfer to support researchers in the Global South. Further, the present research also focuses on expanding the scope of the ongoing conversation in the field of aDNA by reporting relevant literature published around the world and discussing the advancements and challenges in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasundhra Dalal
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India
| | | | - Gyaneshwer Chaubey
- Cytogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Niraj Rai
- Ancient DNA Lab, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow 226007, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Vasant Shinde
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 500007, Telangana, India
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46
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Henriksen RA, Zhao L, Korneliussen TS. NGSNGS: next-generation simulator for next-generation sequencing data. Bioinformatics 2023; 39:6994180. [PMID: 36661298 PMCID: PMC9891242 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btad041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY With the rapid expansion of the capabilities of the DNA sequencers throughout the different sequencing generations, the quantity of generated data has likewise increased. This evolution has also led to new bioinformatical methods, for which in silico data have become crucial when verifying the accuracy of a model or the robustness of a genomic analysis pipeline. Here, we present a multithreaded next-generation simulator for next-generation sequencing data (NGSNGS), which simulates reads faster than currently available methods and programs. NGSNGS can simulate reads with platform-specific characteristics based on nucleotide quality score profiles as well as including a post-mortem damage model which is relevant for simulating ancient DNA. The simulated sequences are sampled (with replacement) from a reference DNA genome, which can represent a haploid genome, polyploid assemblies or even population haplotypes and allows the user to simulate known variable sites directly. The program is implemented in a multithreading framework and is factors faster than currently available tools while extending their feature set and possible output formats. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The method and associated programs are released as open-source software, code and user manual are available at https://github.com/RAHenriksen/NGSNGS. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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47
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Danielewski M, Żuraszek J, Zielińska A, Herzig KH, Słomski R, Walkowiak J, Wielgus K. Methodological Changes in the Field of Paleogenetics. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14010234. [PMID: 36672975 PMCID: PMC9859346 DOI: 10.3390/genes14010234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Paleogenetics has significantly changed since its inception almost forty years ago. Initially, molecular techniques available to the researchers offered minimal possibilities for ancient DNA analysis. The subsequent expansion of the scientific tool cabinet allowed for more remarkable achievements, combined has with the newfound popularity of this budding field of science. Finally, a breakthrough was made with the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and the update of DNA isolation protocols, through which even very fragmented aDNA samples could be used to sequence whole genomes. In this paper, we review the achievements made thus far and compare the methodologies utilized in this field of science, discussing their benefits and challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikołaj Danielewski
- Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Szpitalna 27/33, 60-572 Poznan, Poland
| | - Joanna Żuraszek
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Strzeszynska 32, 60-479 Poznan, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Zielińska
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Strzeszynska 32, 60-479 Poznan, Poland
| | - Karl-Heinz Herzig
- Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Szpitalna 27/33, 60-572 Poznan, Poland
- Research Unit of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, P.O. Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland
- Correspondence: (K.-H.H.); (K.W.)
| | - Ryszard Słomski
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Strzeszynska 32, 60-479 Poznan, Poland
| | - Jarosław Walkowiak
- Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Szpitalna 27/33, 60-572 Poznan, Poland
| | - Karolina Wielgus
- Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Szpitalna 27/33, 60-572 Poznan, Poland
- Correspondence: (K.-H.H.); (K.W.)
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48
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Ayling C. TA Cloning Approaches to Cloning DNA with Damaged Ends DNA. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2633:55-64. [PMID: 36853456 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3004-4_5] [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] [Indexed: 04/27/2023]
Abstract
DNA ends can become damaged for various reasons making them unsuitable for TA cloning techniques, the easiest and most common of the DNA cloning technologies. Examples of end-damaged DNA include ancient DNA and those produced by laboratory methods such as sonication. In this chapter, we discuss how to deal with end-damaged DNA prior to cloning with either the popular pGEM®-T Easy Vector Systems Kit and TOPO™ TA Cloning™ Kits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Ayling
- Biophysics Laboratories, School of Biological Sciences , University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
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Sampaio FL, Day JJ, Mendis Wickramasinghe LJ, Cyriac VP, Papadopoulou A, Brace S, Rajendran A, Simon-Nutbrown C, Flouris T, Kapli P, Ranga Vidanapathirana D, Kotharambath R, Kodandaramaiah U, Gower DJ. A near-complete species-level phylogeny of uropeltid snakes harnessing historical museum collections as a DNA source. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2023; 178:107651. [PMID: 36306995 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Uropeltidae is a clade of small fossorial snakes (ca. 64 extant species) endemic to peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Uropeltid taxonomy has been confusing, and the status of some species has not been revised for over a century. Attempts to revise uropeltid systematics and undertake evolutionary studies have been hampered by incompletely sampled and incompletely resolved phylogenies. To address this issue, we take advantage of historical museum collections, including type specimens, and apply genome-wide shotgun (GWS) sequencing, along with recent field sampling (using Sanger sequencing) to establish a near-complete multilocus species-level phylogeny (ca. 87% complete at species level). This results in a phylogeny that supports the monophyly of all genera (if Brachyophidium is considered a junior synonym of Teretrurus), and provides a firm platform for future taxonomic revision. Sri Lankan uropeltids are probably monophyletic, indicating a single colonisation event of this island from Indian ancestors. However, the position of Rhinophis goweri (endemic to Eastern Ghats, southern India) is unclear and warrants further investigation, and evidence that it may nest within the Sri Lankan radiation indicates a possible recolonisation event. DNA sequence data and morphology suggest that currently recognised uropeltid species diversity is substantially underestimated. Our study highlights the benefits of integrating museum collections in molecular genetic analyses and their role in understanding the systematics and evolutionary history of understudied organismal groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipa L Sampaio
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK; Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Julia J Day
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK; Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Vivek P Cyriac
- IISER-TVM Centre for Research and Education in Ecology and Evolution, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695 551, India
| | - Anna Papadopoulou
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, 2109 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Selina Brace
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Albert Rajendran
- Research Department of Zoology, St. John's College, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Cornelia Simon-Nutbrown
- The Lyell Centre for Earth and Marine Science and Technology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4BA, UK; Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Tomas Flouris
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Paschalia Kapli
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Ramachandran Kotharambath
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK; Department of Zoology, Central University of Kerala, Tejaswini Hills, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | - Ullasa Kodandaramaiah
- IISER-TVM Centre for Research and Education in Ecology and Evolution, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695 551, India
| | - David J Gower
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK; Department of Zoology, Central University of Kerala, Tejaswini Hills, Kasaragod, Kerala, India.
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50
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D'Agostino A, Di Marco G, Marvelli S, Marchesini M, Rizzoli E, Rolfo MF, Canini A, Gismondi A. Neolithic dental calculi provide evidence for environmental proxies and consumption of wild edible fruits and herbs in central Apennines. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1384. [PMID: 36536113 PMCID: PMC9763411 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04354-0] [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: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Looking for a biological fingerprint relative to new aspects of the relationship between humans and natural environment during prehistoric times is challenging. Although many issues still need to be addressed in terms of authentication and identification, microparticles hidden in ancient dental calculus can provide interesting information for bridging this gap of knowledge. Here, we show evidence about the role of edible plants for the early Neolithic individuals in the central Apennines of the Italian peninsula and relative cultural landscape. Dental calculi from human and animal specimens exhumed at Grotta Mora Cavorso (Lazio), one of the largest prehistoric burial deposits, have returned an archaeobotanical record made up of several types of palaeoecological proxies. The organic fraction of this matrix was investigated by a multidisciplinary approach, whose novelty consisted in the application of next generation sequencing to ancient plant DNA fragments, specifically codifying for maturase K barcode gene. Panicoideae and Triticeae starches, together with genetic indicators of Rosaceae fruits, figs, and Lamiaceae herbs, suggested subsistence practices most likely still based on wild plant resources. On the other hand, pollen, and non-pollen palynomorphs allowed us to outline a general vegetational framework dominated by woodland patches alternated with meadows, where semi-permanent settlements could have been established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia D'Agostino
- PhD Program in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Botany, Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriele Di Marco
- Laboratory of Botany, Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Marvelli
- Laboratorio di Palinologia e Archeobotanica-C.A.A. Giorgio Nicoli, San Giovanni in Persiceto, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Marchesini
- Laboratorio di Palinologia e Archeobotanica-C.A.A. Giorgio Nicoli, San Giovanni in Persiceto, Bologna, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Rizzoli
- Laboratorio di Palinologia e Archeobotanica-C.A.A. Giorgio Nicoli, San Giovanni in Persiceto, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mario Federico Rolfo
- Department of History, Culture and Society, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Canini
- Laboratory of Botany, Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Angelo Gismondi
- Laboratory of Botany, Department of Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.
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