Project description:The Kashmiri population is an ethno-linguistic group that resides in the Kashmir Valley in northern India. A longstanding hypothesis is that this population derives ancestry from Jewish and/or Greek sources. There is historical and archaeological evidence of ancient Greek presence in India and Kashmir. Further, some historical accounts suggest ancient Hebrew ancestry as well. To date, it has not been determined whether signatures of Greek or Jewish admixture can be detected in the Kashmiri population. Using genome-wide genotyping and admixture detection methods, we determined there are no significant or substantial signs of Greek or Jewish admixture in modern-day Kashmiris. The ancestry of Kashmiri Tibetans was also determined, which showed signs of admixture with populations from northern India and west Eurasia. These results contribute to our understanding of the existing population structure in northern India and its surrounding geographical areas.
Project description:Ancient protein analysis provides clues to human life and diseases from ancient times. Paleoproteomics has the potential to give a better understanding of the modes of fabrication of ancient materials, their composition, and pathways of degradation, as well as the development of animal fibers through domestication and breeding. Thus, this study aimed at providing guidance for choosing proteomics workflows to analyze leather samples and their capacity to distinguish between unknown archeological species. Here, we performed shotgun proteomics of archeological animal skin for the first time. The raw output data were analyzed using three different software (Proteome Discoverer, Protein Pilot, and Peptide Shaker) with their impeded algorithms. The study found that the best species identification percentage was obtained using protein piolet with protein database. Particularly prevalent and relatively high collagen expression suggests its resistance to degradation, despite the samples’ exposure to environmental and chemical alterations. The success of this case study indicates that further analyses could assist in reworking historical baseline data for putative identification of unknown archeological samples.
Project description:Canine gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is a common life-threatening condition occurring primarily in large and giant breeds with a 3.9% to 36.7% lifetime risk. GDV is a complex disease with risk factors including age, diet, behavior, family history, and genetics. The genetic correlates of GDV have not previously been systematically explored. We undertook multiplatform genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) of 253 dogs including 106 healthy dogs and 147 dogs with at least one GDV episode. The study included ten dog breeds enriched for Borzoi, German Shepherd (GSD), Great Dane, and Standard Poodle. SNP array genotyping was performed on constitutional DNA from all 241 samples to identify GDV-associated SNPs and CNVs. To increase the coverage of our study we performed imputation analysis of the SNP data as well as additional whole genome sequencing (WGS) on a subset of 33 dogs (15 healthy dogs and 18 GDV patients from the three most represented breeds). Twenty-one patients were genotyped by both SNP and WGS platforms. The GWAS was conducted across breeds as well as on specific breeds using a mixed linear model adjusting for relatedness, population structure and sex. After genome-wide Bonferroni correction, we identified a significant protective GDV-associated SNP, rs851737064, occurring in an intergenic region, across all breeds. The signal was most significant in Collies, German Shorthaired Pointers, and Great Danes. Subsequent focused analysis across these three breeds identified 12 additional independent, protective and deleterious SNPs with significant GDV association. Additional GWAS conducted on Borzoi, GSD and Great Dane yielded significant genome-wide GDV associations in 11 independent SNPs, while that in Borzoi alone identified 2 independent GDV-associated SNPs. We then used WGS data to validate the imputation analysis. Notable significant SNPs included genes involved in gastric tone and motility including VHL, NALCN, and PRKCZ. From the WGS data we also detected two independent GDV-associated SNPs in Borzoi, GSD and Great Dane breeds on an intergenic region on chromosome 7 not covered by previous analyses. These data provide important new information regarding canine GDV risk factors and facilitate generation of hypotheses regarding the genetic and molecular underpinnings this syndrome.
Project description:The molecular characterization of samples from works of art can provide valuable insights into the composition of ancient restoration materials and their conservation state. Here, we present a novel experimental protocol for the molecular characterization of a specific adhesive used in historical painting restoration, known as "glue lining pastes." Due to the high molecular complexity of these adhesives, we propose a multi-step extraction protocol to simultaneously recover and fractionate from a single microsample the three main classes of biomolecules contained in glue pastes (lipids, polysaccharides, and proteins). High-performance separation coupled with high-resolution MS techniques were applied to the isolated fractions to identify specific components. The proposed method was optimized using test specimens of various traditional glue pastes applied to canvases and successfully applied to a historical glue paste sample from the 17th-century painting "La fuga in Egitto," part of the Pagliara collection at the University Suor Orsola Benincasa (Naples, Italy). The data collected in this work provide insights into the specific recipe used for adhesive preparation, supporting artistic and historical interpretations, and contributing to a broader understanding of old restoration practices.
Project description:We evaluated linked-read whole genome sequencing (WGS) for detection of structural chromosomal rearrangements in primary samples of varying DNA quality from 12 patients diagnosed with ALL. Linked-read WGS enabled precise, allele-specific, digital karyotyping at a base-pair resolution for a wide range of structural variants including complex rearrangements, aneuploidy assessment and gene deletions. Additional RNA-sequencing and copy number aberrations (CNA) data from Illumina Infinium arrays were also generated and assessed against the linked-read WGS data. RNA-sequencing data was used to support structural chromosomal rearrangements detected in the linked-read WGS data by detecting expressed fusion genes as a consequence of the rearrangements. Illumina Infinium arrays (450k array and/or SNP array) were used to assess CNA status to further support the findings in the linked-read WGS data. The processed CNA data from the primary ALL patient samples has been deposited to GEO. RNA-sequencing, linked-read WGS data, and raw SNP array data from the primary ALL patient samples will not be deposited because the patient/parent consent does not cover depositing data that may be used for large-scale determination of germline variants in a repository. The ALL samples were collected 10-20 years ago from pediatric patients aged 2-15 years, some whom have deceased. The linked-read WGS data and the RNA-sequencing data sets generated in the study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author Jessica.Nordlund@medsci.uu.se.
Project description:We evaluated linked-read whole genome sequencing (WGS) for detection of structural chromosomal rearrangements in primary samples of varying DNA quality from 12 patients diagnosed with ALL. Linked-read WGS enabled precise, allele-specific, digital karyotyping at a base-pair resolution for a wide range of structural variants including complex rearrangements, aneuploidy assessment and gene deletions. Additional RNA-sequencing and copy number aberrations (CNA) data from Illumina Infinium arrays were also generated and assessed against the linked-read WGS data. RNA-sequencing data was used to support structural chromosomal rearrangements detected in the linked-read WGS data by detecting expressed fusion genes as a consequence of the rearrangements. Illumina Infinium arrays (450k array and/or SNP array) were used to assess CNA status to further support the findings in the linked-read WGS data. The processed CNA data from the primary ALL patient samples has been deposited to GEO. RNA-sequencing, linked-read WGS data, and raw SNP array data from the primary ALL patient samples will not be deposited because the patient/parent consent does not cover depositing data that may be used for large-scale determination of germline variants in a repository. The ALL samples were collected 10-20 years ago from pediatric patients aged 2-15 years, some whom have deceased. The linked-read WGS data and the RNA-sequencing data sets generated in the study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author Jessica.Nordlund@medsci.uu.se.
Project description:We evaluated linked-read whole genome sequencing (WGS) for detection of structural chromosomal rearrangements in primary samples of varying DNA quality from 12 patients diagnosed with ALL. Linked-read WGS enabled precise, allele-specific, digital karyotyping at a base-pair resolution for a wide range of structural variants including complex rearrangements, aneuploidy assessment and gene deletions. Additional RNA-sequencing and copy number aberrations (CNA) data from Illumina Infinium arrays were also generated and assessed against the linked-read WGS data. RNA-sequencing data was used to support structural chromosomal rearrangements detected in the linked-read WGS data by detecting expressed fusion genes as a consequence of the rearrangements. Illumina Infinium arrays (450k array and/or SNP array) were used to assess CNA status to further support the findings in the linked-read WGS data. The processed CNA data from the primary ALL patient samples has been deposited to GEO. RNA-sequencing, linked-read WGS data, and raw SNP array data from the primary ALL patient samples will not be deposited because the patient/parent consent does not cover depositing data that may be used for large-scale determination of germline variants in a repository. The ALL samples were collected 10-20 years ago from pediatric patients aged 2-15 years, some whom have deceased. The linked-read WGS data and the RNA-sequencing data sets generated in the study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author Jessica.Nordlund@medsci.uu.se.
Project description:Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of tongue cancer samples and cell line was performed to identify the fusion gene translocation breakpoint. WGS raw data was aligned to human reference genome (GRCh38.p12) using BWA-MEM (v0.7.17). The BAM files generated were further analysed using SvABA (v1.1.3) tool to identify translocation breakpoints. The translocation breakpoints were annotated using custom scripts, using the reference GENCODE GTF (v30). The fusion breakpoints identified in the SvABA analysis were additionally confirmed using MANTA tool (v1.6.0).
Project description:Natural history museum specimens of historical honeybees have been successfully used to explore the genomic past of the honeybee, indicating fast and rapid changes between historical and modern specimens, possibly as a response to current challenges. In our study we explore a potential untapped archive from natural history collections - specimens of beeswax. We examine an Apis mellifera mellifera queen cell specimen from the 19th century. The intact and closed cell was analysed by X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) to reveal a perfectly preserved queen bee inside her cell. Subsequently, a micro-destructive approach was used to evaluate the possibility of protein extraction from the cell. Our results show that studies on specimens such as these provide valuable information about the past rearing of queens, their diet and development, which is relevant for understanding current honeybee behaviour. In addition we evaluate the feasibility of using historical beeswax as a biomolecular archive for ancient proteins to study honeybees.