2000 Year-old ancient equids: an ancient-DNA lesson from pompeii remains.
Ancient DNA extracted from 2000 year-old equine bones was examined in order to amplify mitochondrial and nuclear DNA fragments. A specific equine satellite-type sequence representing 3.7%-11% of the entire equine genome, proved to be a suitable target to address the question of the presence of aDNA in ancient bones. The PCR strategy designed to investigate this specific target also allowed us to calculate the molecular weight of amplifiable DNA fragments. Sequencing of a 370 bp DNA fragment of mitochondrial control region allowed the comparison of ancient DNA sequences with those of modern horses to assess their genetic relationship. The 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene was also examined to unravel the post-mortem base modification feature and to test the status of Pompeian equids taxon on the basis of a Mae III restriction site polymorphism.
Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sezione di Biotecnologie e Biologia Molecolare, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Naples, Italy. marilena.cipollaro@unina2.it
Giovanni
G
Di Bernardo
Stefania
S
Del Gaudio
Umberto
U
Galderisi
Marilena
M
Cipollaro
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D005580:Fossils; D006736:Horses / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics*; D007558:Italy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity
D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D004247:DNA