Fossil avian eggshell preserves ancient DNA
Owing to exceptional biomolecule preservation, fossil avian eggshell has been used extensively in geochronologyand palaeodietary studies. Here, we show, to our knowledge, for the first time that fossil eggshell is apreviously unrecognized source of ancientDNA (aDNA).We describe the successful isolat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
The Royal Society Publishing
2010
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24337 |
| _version_ | 1848751400161378304 |
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| author | Oskam, C. Haile, James McLay, E. Rigby, P. Allentoft, M. Olsen, M. Bengtsson, C. Miller, Gifford Schwenninger, J. Jacomb, C. Walter, R. Baynes, A. Dortch, J. Parker-Pearson, M. Gilbert, Thomas Holdaway, R. Willerslev, E. Bunce, Michael |
| author_facet | Oskam, C. Haile, James McLay, E. Rigby, P. Allentoft, M. Olsen, M. Bengtsson, C. Miller, Gifford Schwenninger, J. Jacomb, C. Walter, R. Baynes, A. Dortch, J. Parker-Pearson, M. Gilbert, Thomas Holdaway, R. Willerslev, E. Bunce, Michael |
| author_sort | Oskam, C. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Owing to exceptional biomolecule preservation, fossil avian eggshell has been used extensively in geochronologyand palaeodietary studies. Here, we show, to our knowledge, for the first time that fossil eggshell is apreviously unrecognized source of ancientDNA (aDNA).We describe the successful isolation and amplificationofDNAfrom fossil eggshell up to 19 ka old. aDNAwas successfully characterized fromeggshell obtainedfrom New Zealand (extinct moa and ducks), Madagascar (extinct elephant birds) and Australia (emu andowl). Our data demonstrate excellent preservation of the nucleic acids, evidenced by retrieval of both mitochondrialand nuclear DNA from many of the samples. Using confocal microscopy and quantitative PCR,this study critically evaluates approaches to maximizeDNA recovery from powdered eggshell. Our quantitativePCR experiments also demonstrate that moa eggshell has approximately 125 times lower bacterial loadthan bone, making it a highly suitable substrate for high-throughput sequencing approaches. Importantly,the preservation ofDNAin Pleistocene eggshell fromAustralia andHolocene deposits fromMadagascar indicatesthat eggshell is an excellent substrate for the long-term preservation of DNA in warmer climates. Thesuccessful recovery of DNA from this substrate has implications in a number of scientific disciplines; mostnotably archaeology and palaeontology, where genotypes and/or DNA-based species identifications canadd significantly to our understanding of diets, environments, past biodiversity and evolutionary processes. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:52:07Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-24337 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:52:07Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| publisher | The Royal Society Publishing |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-243372017-09-13T15:09:36Z Fossil avian eggshell preserves ancient DNA Oskam, C. Haile, James McLay, E. Rigby, P. Allentoft, M. Olsen, M. Bengtsson, C. Miller, Gifford Schwenninger, J. Jacomb, C. Walter, R. Baynes, A. Dortch, J. Parker-Pearson, M. Gilbert, Thomas Holdaway, R. Willerslev, E. Bunce, Michael archaeology extinct birds ancient DNA eggshell palaeontology Owing to exceptional biomolecule preservation, fossil avian eggshell has been used extensively in geochronologyand palaeodietary studies. Here, we show, to our knowledge, for the first time that fossil eggshell is apreviously unrecognized source of ancientDNA (aDNA).We describe the successful isolation and amplificationofDNAfrom fossil eggshell up to 19 ka old. aDNAwas successfully characterized fromeggshell obtainedfrom New Zealand (extinct moa and ducks), Madagascar (extinct elephant birds) and Australia (emu andowl). Our data demonstrate excellent preservation of the nucleic acids, evidenced by retrieval of both mitochondrialand nuclear DNA from many of the samples. Using confocal microscopy and quantitative PCR,this study critically evaluates approaches to maximizeDNA recovery from powdered eggshell. Our quantitativePCR experiments also demonstrate that moa eggshell has approximately 125 times lower bacterial loadthan bone, making it a highly suitable substrate for high-throughput sequencing approaches. Importantly,the preservation ofDNAin Pleistocene eggshell fromAustralia andHolocene deposits fromMadagascar indicatesthat eggshell is an excellent substrate for the long-term preservation of DNA in warmer climates. Thesuccessful recovery of DNA from this substrate has implications in a number of scientific disciplines; mostnotably archaeology and palaeontology, where genotypes and/or DNA-based species identifications canadd significantly to our understanding of diets, environments, past biodiversity and evolutionary processes. 2010 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24337 10.1098/rspb.2009.2019 The Royal Society Publishing unknown |
| spellingShingle | archaeology extinct birds ancient DNA eggshell palaeontology Oskam, C. Haile, James McLay, E. Rigby, P. Allentoft, M. Olsen, M. Bengtsson, C. Miller, Gifford Schwenninger, J. Jacomb, C. Walter, R. Baynes, A. Dortch, J. Parker-Pearson, M. Gilbert, Thomas Holdaway, R. Willerslev, E. Bunce, Michael Fossil avian eggshell preserves ancient DNA |
| title | Fossil avian eggshell preserves ancient DNA |
| title_full | Fossil avian eggshell preserves ancient DNA |
| title_fullStr | Fossil avian eggshell preserves ancient DNA |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fossil avian eggshell preserves ancient DNA |
| title_short | Fossil avian eggshell preserves ancient DNA |
| title_sort | fossil avian eggshell preserves ancient dna |
| topic | archaeology extinct birds ancient DNA eggshell palaeontology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24337 |