Project description:Palaeoproteomic study of mummified human skin using a non-destructive sampling technique, based on mixed-bed chromatographic media stabilised on ethylene vinyl acetate membranes (“EVA”), which had previously been used exclusively on historical material, was successful in extracting ancient proteins from the surface of Ancient Egyptian mummies. We tested the method on a decontextualised fragment of skin and assessed the endogeneity of its metaproteome by comparison with a procedural blank. Furthermore, we retrieved and authenticated sequences of collagen and keratin from the mummy of a young woman (Supp. 16747 of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the University of Turin) who lived and died between 2400 and 2200 BC, during the Old Kingdom of Egypt.
Project description:This analysis is a part of a larger study of the genomic origins of the Tarim Basin mummies. The dental calculus of seven individuals from Xiaohe contained ruminant dairy proteins, confirming milk consumption by the earliest inhabitants of Xiaohe.
Project description:This represents the first transcriptomic and epigenomic characterization of the vocalization-associated brain circuits of a non-human mammalian vocal learner (Egyptian fruit bat), yielding fundamental insights into the regulatory and molecular pathways underlying the evolution of complex vocal behavior in mammals.
Project description:Abstract from accompanying publication: "Bats host a number of viruses that cause severe disease in humans without experiencing overt symptoms of disease themselves. While the mechanisms underlying this ability to avoid sickness are not known, deep sequencing studies of bat genomes have uncovered genetic adaptations that may have functional importance in the antiviral response of these animals. Egyptian rousette bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) are the natural reservoir hosts of Marburg virus (MARV). In contrast to humans, these bats do not become sick when infected with MARV. A striking difference to the human genome is that Egyptian rousettes have an expanded repertoire of IFNW genes. To probe the biological implications of this expansion, we synthesized IFN-ω4 and IFN-ω9 proteins and tested their antiviral activity in Egyptian rousette cells. Both IFN-ω4 and IFN-ω9 showed antiviral activity against RNA viruses, including MARV, with IFN-ω9 being more efficient than IFN-ω4. Using RNA-Seq, we examined the transcriptional response induced by each protein. Although the sets of genes induced by the two IFNs were largely overlapping, IFN-ω9 induced a more rapid and intense response than did IFN-ω4. About 13% of genes induced by IFN-ω treatment are not found in the Interferome or other ISG databases, indicating that they may be uniquely IFN-responsive in this bat."
Project description:DLBCL accounts for approximately 40% of newly diagnosed lymphomas worldwide. Several etiological mechanisms have been proposed. Among these are viral infections and chronic inflammation which may be associated with the initiation and progression of lymphoma. Paraffin-embedded specimens from Egyptian and Swedish DLBCL patients were studied using gene expression. RNA from patients were pooled together and arrays were performed in triplicates.
Project description:NGS (enriched and shotgun) data for 2 individual Egyptian mummies from the 12th Dynasty. Mummies provided by Manchester Museum and originally collected from middle Egypt in 1907. The aim was to look at kinship relationships (maternal and paternal) between them.
