Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

26 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

A minimally destructive protocol for DNA extraction from ancient teeth.

ABSTRACT: Ancient DNA sampling methods-although optimized for efficient DNA extraction-are destructive, relying on drilling or cutting and powdering (parts of) bones and teeth. As the field of ancient DNA has grown, so have concerns about the impact of destructive sampling of the skeletal remains from which ancient DNA is obtained. Due to a particularly high concentration of endogenous DNA, the cementum of tooth roots is often targeted for ancient DNA sampling, but destructive sampling methods of the cementum often result in the loss of at least one entire root. Here, we present a minimally destructive method for extracting ancient DNA from dental cementum present on the surface of tooth roots. This method does not require destructive drilling or grinding, and, following extraction, the tooth remains safe to handle and suitable for most morphological studies, as well as other biochemical studies, such as radiocarbon dating. We extracted and sequenced ancient DNA from 30 teeth (and nine corresponding petrous bones) using this minimally destructive extraction method in addition to a typical tooth sampling method. We find that the minimally destructive method can provide ancient DNA that is of comparable quality to extracts produced from teeth that have undergone destructive sampling processes. Further, we find that a rigorous cleaning of the tooth surface combining diluted bleach and UV light irradiation seems sufficient to minimize external contaminants usually removed through the physical removal of a superficial layer when sampling through regular powdering methods.

SUBMITTER: Harney E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7919446 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Similar Datasets

Minimally Destructive DNA Extraction from Ancient Teeth

Project description:A Minimally Destructive Protocol for DNA Extraction from Ancient Teeth

| PRJEB32750 | ENA

Extraction Protocol for Parallel Analysis of Proteins and DNA from Ancient Teeth and Dental Calculus.

Project description:Dental calculus is becoming a crucial material in the study of past populations with increasing interest in its proteomic and genomic content. Here, we suggest further development of a protocol for analysis of ancient proteins and a combined approach for subsequent ancient DNA extraction. We tested the protocol on recent teeth, and the optimized protocol was applied to ancient tooth to limit the destruction of calculus as it is a precious and irreplaceable source of dietary, microbiological, and ecological information in the archeological context. Finally, the applicability of the protocol was demonstrated on samples of the ancient calculus.

| S-EPMC10563166 | biostudies-literature

Ancient DNA teeth

Project description:The data set contains MS/MS data on teeth extracts for Ancient DNA teeth samples ran in both positive and Negative ionization modes

2018-12-19 | MSV000083264 | MassIVE

Protein Extraction from Ancient Teeth and Dental Calculus Compatible with Subsequent DNA Extraction

Project description:Dental calculus is becoming a crucial material in the study of past populations, with increasing interest in its proteomic and genomic content. Here we suggest further development of protocol for analysis of ancient proteins and a combined approach for subsequent ancient DNA extraction. We tested the protocol on recent teeth. We then applied the optimised protocol to ancient teeth to limit the destruction of calculus, as it is a precious and irreplaceable source of dietary, microbiological, and ecological information in the archaeological context. Finally, the applicability of the protocol was proven on samples of ancient calculus.

2023-09-11 | PXD042668 | Pride

Non-destructive sampling of ancient insect DNA.

Project description:BackgroundA major challenge for ancient DNA (aDNA) studies on insect remains is that sampling procedures involve at least partial destruction of the specimens. A recent extraction protocol reveals the possibility of obtaining DNA from past insect remains without causing visual morphological damage. We test the applicability of this protocol on historic museum beetle specimens dating back to AD 1820 and on ancient beetle chitin remains from permafrost (permanently frozen soil) dating back more than 47,000 years. Finally, we test the possibility of obtaining ancient insect DNA directly from non-frozen sediments deposited 3280-1800 years ago -- an alternative approach that also does not involve destruction of valuable material.Methodology/principal findingsThe success of the methodological approaches are tested by PCR and sequencing of COI and 16S mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) fragments of 77-204 base pairs (-bp) in size using species-specific and general insect primers.Conclusion/significanceThe applied non-destructive DNA extraction method shows promising potential on insect museum specimens of historical age as far back as AD 1820, but less so on the ancient permafrost-preserved insect fossil remains tested, where DNA was obtained from samples up to ca. 26,000 years old. The non-frozen sediment DNA approach appears to have great potential for recording the former presence of insect taxa not normally preserved as macrofossils and opens new frontiers in research on ancient biodiversity.

| S-EPMC2660418 | biostudies-literature

Development and Optimization of a Silica Column-Based Extraction Protocol for Ancient DNA.

Project description:Rapid and cost-effective retrieval of endogenous DNA from ancient specimens remains a limiting factor in palaeogenomic research. Many methods have been developed to increase ancient DNA yield, but modifications to existing protocols are often based on personal experience rather than systematic testing. Here, we present a new silica column-based extraction protocol, where optimizations were tested in controlled experiments. Using relatively well-preserved permafrost samples, we tested the efficiency of pretreatment of bone and tooth powder with a bleach wash and a predigestion step. We also tested the recovery efficiency of MinElute and QIAquick columns, as well as Vivaspin columns with two molecular weight cut-off values. Finally, we tested the effect of uracil-treatment with two different USER enzyme concentrations. We find that neither bleach wash combined with a predigestion step, nor predigestion by itself, significantly increased sequencing efficiency. Initial results, however, suggest that MinElute columns are more efficient for ancient DNA extractions than QIAquick columns, whereas different molecular weight cut-off values in centrifugal concentrator columns did not have an effect. Uracil treatments are effective at removing DNA damage even at concentrations of 0.15 U/µL (as compared to 0.3 U/µL) of ancient DNA extracts.

| S-EPMC9032354 | biostudies-literature

Ancient pathogen DNA in human teeth and petrous bones.

Project description:Recent ancient DNA (aDNA) studies of human pathogens have provided invaluable insights into their evolutionary history and prevalence in space and time. Most of these studies were based on DNA extracted from teeth or postcranial bones. In contrast, no pathogen DNA has been reported from the petrous bone which has become the most desired skeletal element in ancient DNA research due to its high endogenous DNA content. To compare the potential for pathogenic aDNA retrieval from teeth and petrous bones, we sampled these elements from five ancient skeletons, previously shown to be carrying Yersinia pestis. Based on shotgun sequencing data, four of these five plague victims showed clearly detectable levels of Y. pestis DNA in the teeth, whereas all the petrous bones failed to produce Y. pestis DNA above baseline levels. A broader comparative metagenomic analysis of teeth and petrous bones from 10 historical skeletons corroborated these results, showing a much higher microbial diversity in teeth than petrous bones, including pathogenic and oral microbial taxa. Our results imply that although petrous bones are highly valuable for ancient genomic analyses as an excellent source of endogenous DNA, the metagenomic potential of these dense skeletal elements is highly limited. This trade-off must be considered when designing the sampling strategy for an aDNA project.

| S-EPMC5869295 | biostudies-literature

Improving access to endogenous DNA in ancient bones and teeth.

Project description:Poor DNA preservation is the most limiting factor in ancient genomic research. In the majority of ancient bones and teeth, endogenous DNA molecules represent a minor fraction of the whole DNA extract, rendering shot-gun sequencing inefficient for obtaining genomic data. Based on ancient human bone samples from temperate and tropical environments, we show that an EDTA-based enzymatic 'pre-digestion' of powdered bone increases the proportion of endogenous DNA several fold. By performing the pre-digestion step between 30?min and 6?hours on five bones, we observe an asymptotic increase in endogenous DNA content, with a 2.7-fold average increase reached at 1?hour. We repeat the experiment using a brief pre-digestion (15 or 30?mins) on 21 ancient bones and teeth from a variety of archaeological contexts and observe an improvement in 16 of these. We here advocate the implementation of a brief pre-digestion step as a standard procedure in ancient DNA extractions. Finally, we demonstrate on 14 ancient teeth that by targeting the outer layer of the roots we obtain up to 14 times more endogenous DNA than when using the inner dentine. Our presented methods are likely to increase the proportion of ancient samples that are suitable for genome-scale characterization.

| S-EPMC4472031 | biostudies-literature

Modifying DNA extraction protocol alters human brain copy number estimation

Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.

2016-02-01 | GSE71470 | GEO

Improving DNA extraction from ancient bones

Project description:Comparing the performance of three ancient DNA extraction methods for high-throughput sequencing

| PRJEB10532 | ENA