The efficacy of high-throughput sequencing and target enrichment on charred archaeobotanical remains.

ABSTRACT: The majority of archaeological plant material is preserved in a charred state. Obtaining reliable ancient DNA data from these remains has presented challenges due to high rates of nucleotide damage, short DNA fragment lengths, low endogenous DNA content and the potential for modern contamination. It has been suggested that high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies coupled with DNA enrichment techniques may overcome some of these limitations. Here we report the findings of HTS and target enrichment on four important archaeological crops (barley, grape, maize and rice) performed in three different laboratories, presenting the largest HTS assessment of charred archaeobotanical specimens to date. Rigorous analysis of our data - excluding false-positives due to background contamination or i

SUBMITTER: Nistelberger HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5121605 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature