title: Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the Tyrolean Iceman.
abstract: The Tyrolean Iceman was a witness to the Neolithic-Copper Age transition in Central Europe 5350-5100 years ago, and his mummified corpse was recovered from an Alpine glacier on the Austro-Italian border in 1991 [1]. Using a mixed sequencing procedure based on PCR amplification and 454 sequencing of pooled amplification products, we have retrieved the first complete mitochondrial-genome sequence of a prehistoric European. We have then compared it with 115 related extant lineages from mitochondrial haplogroup K. We found that the Iceman belonged to a branch of mitochondrial haplogroup K1 that has not yet been identified in modern European populations. This is the oldest complete Homo sapiens mtDNA genome generated to date. The results point to the potential significance of complete-ancient-mtDNA studies in addressing questions concerning the genetic history of human populations that the phylogeography of modern lineages is unable to tackle.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Archeo-Antropologia Molecolare/DNA Antico, Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, Cellulare e Animale, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ermini
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.forename: Ermanno
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rizzi
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Corti
authors.forename: Raoul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bonnal
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luciani
authors.forename: Isolina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Marota
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Bellis
authors.forename: Martin B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rollo
mesh_terms: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009106:Mummies; D010802:Phylogeny; D011309:Preservation, Biological; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial