Persistence and decay of the intestinal microbial flora’s DNA in frozen bodies from the Alps
The study of the DNA of ancient microorganisms in human remains represents one of the newest and most promising branches of molecular archaeoanthropology. Despite the growing number of papers addressing this subject, however, the analysis of ancient bacterial DNA is still a contentious issue. The in...
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ftuncamerinoiris:oai:pubblicazioni.unicam.it:11581/115968 2023-05-15T17:58:08+02:00 Persistence and decay of the intestinal microbial flora’s DNA in frozen bodies from the Alps ROLLO, Franco Ugo LUCIANI, Stefania MAROTA, Isolina OLIVIERI, CRISTINA ERMINI L. Rollo, Franco Ugo Luciani, Stefania Marota, Isolina Olivieri, Cristina Ermini, L. 2007 http://hdl.handle.net/11581/115968 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2006.10.019 eng eng volume:34 issue:8 firstpage:1294 lastpage:1305 numberofpages:12 journal:JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE http://hdl.handle.net/11581/115968 doi:10.1016/j.jas.2006.10.019 info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2007 ftuncamerinoiris https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2006.10.019 2023-03-01T21:01:47Z The study of the DNA of ancient microorganisms in human remains represents one of the newest and most promising branches of molecular archaeoanthropology. Despite the growing number of papers addressing this subject, however, the analysis of ancient bacterial DNA is still a contentious issue. The indigenous microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract of man represents a community characterized by relative constancy in species composition and proportion. As a model system, we studied the preservation of the intestinal microbiota DNA in two naturally freeze-dried human mummies found on the Alps. This kind of mummy is an ideal subject for ancient DNA investigations. The first is a male body historically dated 1918 A.D. while the second is the famous Tyrolean Iceman (3.350-3.100 B.C.). The screening of bacterial 16S rRNA gene libraries from colon samples of the two mummies (49 clones for the 1918 mummy, 119 clones for the Iceman) showed that the characteristic composition of the intestinal microbiota of man (Alpha-, Beta-, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroides, Clostridia) is still kept in the library from the recent mummy while the Iceman's library is almost entirely composed by the DNA of clostridia. Comparison of the intestinal data with those from the literature describing the screening of 16S rRNA gene libraries from other parts of the Iceman's body and from permafrost specimens indicates that the changes in library composition may partly be attributed to the proliferation of clostridia inside the corpses, as described in forensic literature, and partly to the differential persistence of the DNA of gram-negative bacteria and endospore-former low-GC gram-positive bacteria. The present results contribute to the issue of the authentication of claims of pathogen DNA identification in archaeological human remains. Article in Journal/Newspaper permafrost CAMPUS Pubblicazioni Scientifiche Unicam (Università di Camerino) Journal of Archaeological Science 34 8 1294 1305 |
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Open Polar |
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CAMPUS Pubblicazioni Scientifiche Unicam (Università di Camerino) |
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ftuncamerinoiris |
language |
English |
description |
The study of the DNA of ancient microorganisms in human remains represents one of the newest and most promising branches of molecular archaeoanthropology. Despite the growing number of papers addressing this subject, however, the analysis of ancient bacterial DNA is still a contentious issue. The indigenous microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract of man represents a community characterized by relative constancy in species composition and proportion. As a model system, we studied the preservation of the intestinal microbiota DNA in two naturally freeze-dried human mummies found on the Alps. This kind of mummy is an ideal subject for ancient DNA investigations. The first is a male body historically dated 1918 A.D. while the second is the famous Tyrolean Iceman (3.350-3.100 B.C.). The screening of bacterial 16S rRNA gene libraries from colon samples of the two mummies (49 clones for the 1918 mummy, 119 clones for the Iceman) showed that the characteristic composition of the intestinal microbiota of man (Alpha-, Beta-, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroides, Clostridia) is still kept in the library from the recent mummy while the Iceman's library is almost entirely composed by the DNA of clostridia. Comparison of the intestinal data with those from the literature describing the screening of 16S rRNA gene libraries from other parts of the Iceman's body and from permafrost specimens indicates that the changes in library composition may partly be attributed to the proliferation of clostridia inside the corpses, as described in forensic literature, and partly to the differential persistence of the DNA of gram-negative bacteria and endospore-former low-GC gram-positive bacteria. The present results contribute to the issue of the authentication of claims of pathogen DNA identification in archaeological human remains. |
author2 |
Rollo, Franco Ugo Luciani, Stefania Marota, Isolina Olivieri, Cristina Ermini, L. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
ROLLO, Franco Ugo LUCIANI, Stefania MAROTA, Isolina OLIVIERI, CRISTINA ERMINI L. |
spellingShingle |
ROLLO, Franco Ugo LUCIANI, Stefania MAROTA, Isolina OLIVIERI, CRISTINA ERMINI L. Persistence and decay of the intestinal microbial flora’s DNA in frozen bodies from the Alps |
author_facet |
ROLLO, Franco Ugo LUCIANI, Stefania MAROTA, Isolina OLIVIERI, CRISTINA ERMINI L. |
author_sort |
ROLLO, Franco Ugo |
title |
Persistence and decay of the intestinal microbial flora’s DNA in frozen bodies from the Alps |
title_short |
Persistence and decay of the intestinal microbial flora’s DNA in frozen bodies from the Alps |
title_full |
Persistence and decay of the intestinal microbial flora’s DNA in frozen bodies from the Alps |
title_fullStr |
Persistence and decay of the intestinal microbial flora’s DNA in frozen bodies from the Alps |
title_full_unstemmed |
Persistence and decay of the intestinal microbial flora’s DNA in frozen bodies from the Alps |
title_sort |
persistence and decay of the intestinal microbial flora’s dna in frozen bodies from the alps |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11581/115968 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2006.10.019 |
genre |
permafrost |
genre_facet |
permafrost |
op_relation |
volume:34 issue:8 firstpage:1294 lastpage:1305 numberofpages:12 journal:JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE http://hdl.handle.net/11581/115968 doi:10.1016/j.jas.2006.10.019 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2006.10.019 |
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Journal of Archaeological Science |
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34 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1294 |
op_container_end_page |
1305 |
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