The half-life of DNA in bone: measuring decay kinetics in 158 dated fossils
MetadataShow full item record
Claims of extreme survival of DNA have emphasized the need for reliable models of DNA degradationthrough time. By analysing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 158 radiocarbon-dated bones of theextinct New Zealand moa, we confirm empirically a long-hypothesized exponential decay relationship.The average DNA half-life within this geographically constrained fossil assemblage was estimated to be521 years for a 242 bp mtDNA sequence, corresponding to a per nucleotide fragmentation rate (k) of5.50 ! 10–6 per year. With an effective burial temperature of 13.18C, the rate is almost 400 timesslower than predicted from published kinetic data of in vitro DNA depurination at pH 5. Althoughbest described by an exponential model (R2 ¼ 0.39), considerable sample-to-sample variance in DNApreservation could not be accounted for by geologic age. This variation likely derives from differencesin taphonomy and bone diagenesis, which have confounded previous, less spatially constrained attempt to study DNA decay kinetics. Lastly, by calculating DNA fragmentation rates on Illumina HiSeq data, we show that nuclear DNA has degraded at least twice as fast as mtDNA. These results provide a baseline for predicting long-term DNA survival in bone.
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
An assessment of ancient DNA preservation in Holocene-Pleistocene fossil bone excavated from the world heritage Naracoorte Caves, South AustraliaGrealy, Alicia; Macken, A.; Allentoft, M.; Rawlence, N.; Reed, E.; Bunce, Michael (2016)Although there is a long history of research into the fossil deposits of the Naracoorte Caves (South Australia), ancient DNA (aDNA) has not been integrated into any palaeontological study from this World Heritage site. ...
Dol, Sharul Sham; Salek, M.; Martinuzzi, R. (2014)One of the main features of the backward-facing step (BFS) low frequency pulsatile flow is the unsteadiness due to the convection of vortical (coherent) structures, which characterize the flow dynamics in the shear layer. ...
Enhanced chlorine dioxide decay in the presence of metal oxides: Relevance to drinking water distribution systemsLiu, C.; Von Gunten, U.; Croué, Jean-Philippe (2013)Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) decay in the presence of typical metal oxides occurring in distribution systems was investigated. Metal oxides generally enhanced ClO2 decay in a second-order process via three pathways: (1) catalytic ...