Ancient microRNA profiles of a 14,300-year-old canid samples confirm taxonomic origin and give glimpses into tissue-specific gene regulation from the Pleistocene.

ABSTRACT: DNA sequencing is the current key technology for historic or ancient biological samples and has led to many exciting discoveries in the field of paleogenomics. However, functional insights into tissue identity, cellular composition or gene regulation cannot be gained from DNA. Recent analyses have shown that, under favorable conditions, RNA can also be sequenced from ancient samples, enabling studies at the transcriptomic and regulatory level. Analyzing ancient RNA data from a Pleistocene canid, we find hundreds of intact microRNAs that are taxonomically informative, show tissue-specificity and have functionally predictive characteristics. With an extraordinary age of 14,300 years, these microRNA sequences are by far the oldest ever reported. The authenticity of the sequences is further su

SUBMITTER: Fromm B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7901840 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature