Paging through history: parchment as a reservoir of ancient DNA for next generation sequencing.

ABSTRACT: Parchment represents an invaluable cultural reservoir. Retrieving an additional layer of information from these abundant, dated livestock-skins via the use of ancient DNA (aDNA) sequencing has been mooted by a number of researchers. However, prior PCR-based work has indicated that this may be challenged by cross-individual and cross-species contamination, perhaps from the bulk parchment preparation process. Here we apply next generation sequencing to two parchments of seventeenth and eighteenth century northern English provenance. Following alignment to the published sheep, goat, cow and human genomes, it is clear that the only genome displaying substantial unique homology is sheep and this species identification is confirmed by collagen peptide mass spectrometry. Only 4% of sequence reads

SUBMITTER: Teasdale MD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4275887 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature