Reconstructing double-stranded DNA fragments on a single-molecule level reveals patterns of degradation in ancient samples.

ABSTRACT: Extensive manipulations involved in the preparation of DNA samples for sequencing have hitherto made it impossible to determine the precise structure of double-stranded DNA fragments being sequenced, such as the presence of blunt ends, single-stranded overhangs, or single-strand breaks. We here describe MatchSeq, a method that combines single-stranded DNA library preparation from diluted DNA samples with computational sequence matching, allowing the reconstruction of double-stranded DNA fragments on a single-molecule level. The application of MatchSeq to Neanderthal DNA, a particularly complex source of degraded DNA, reveals that 1- or 2-nt overhangs and blunt ends dominate the ends of ancient DNA molecules and that short gaps exist, which are predominantly caused by the loss of individual

SUBMITTER: Bokelmann L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7605269 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature