| 1. |
- Fages, A., et al.
(författare)
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Tracking Five Millennia of Horse Management with Extensive Ancient Genome Time Series
- 2019
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Ingår i: Cell. - : Elsevier BV. - 0092-8674. ; 177:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Horse domestication revolutionized warfare and accelerated travel, trade, and the geographic expansion of languages. Here, we present the largest DNA time series for a non-human organism to date, including genome-scale data from 149 ancient animals and 129 ancient genomes (>= 1-fold coverage), 87 of which are new. This extensive dataset allows us to assess the modem legacy of past equestrian civilisations. We find that two extinct horse lineages existed during early domestication, one at the far western (Iberia) and the other at the far eastern range (Siberia) of Eurasia. None of these contributed significantly to modern diversity. We show that the influence of Persian-related horse lineages increased following the Islamic conquests in Europe and Asia. Multiple alleles associated with elite-racing, including at the MSTN "speed gene," only rose in popularity within the last millennium. Finally, the development of modem breeding impacted genetic diversity more dramatically than the previous millennia of human management.
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| 2. |
- Jakubowska, A, et al.
(författare)
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Association of PHB 1630 C andgt; T and MTHFR 677 C andgt; T polymorphisms with breast and ovarian cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers: results from a multicenter study
- 2012
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Ingår i: British Journal of Cancer. - : Cancer Research UK / Nature Publishing Group. - 0007-0920 .- 1532-1827. ; 106:12, s. 2016-2024
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The variable penetrance of breast cancer in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers suggests that other genetic or environmental factors modify breast cancer risk. Two genes of special interest are prohibitin (PHB) and methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), both of which are important either directly or indirectly in maintaining genomic integrity. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMETHODS: To evaluate the potential role of genetic variants within PHB and MTHFR in breast and ovarian cancer risk, 4102 BRCA1 and 2093 BRCA2 mutation carriers, and 6211 BRCA1 and 2902 BRCA2 carriers from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 (CIMBA) were genotyped for the PHB 1630 Candgt;T (rs6917) polymorphism and the MTHFR 677 Candgt;T (rs1801133) polymorphism, respectively. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanRESULTS: There was no evidence of association between the PHB 1630 Candgt;T and MTHFR 677 Candgt;T polymorphisms with either disease for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers when breast and ovarian cancer associations were evaluated separately. Analysis that evaluated associations for breast and ovarian cancer simultaneously showed some evidence that BRCA1 mutation carriers who had the rare homozygote genotype (TT) of the PHB 1630 Candgt;T polymorphism were at increased risk of both breast and ovarian cancer (HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.10-2.04 and HR 2.16, 95% CI 1.24-3.76, respectively). However, there was no evidence of association under a multiplicative model for the effect of each minor allele. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanCONCLUSION: The PHB 1630TT genotype may modify breast and ovarian cancer risks in BRCA1 mutation carriers. This association need to be evaluated in larger series of BRCA1 mutation carriers.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Star, B., et al.
(författare)
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Ancient DNA reveals the Arctic origin of Viking Age cod from Haithabu, Germany
- 2017
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424. ; 114:34, s. 9152-9157
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Knowledge of the range and chronology of historic trade and long-distance transport of natural resources is essential for determining the impacts of past human activities on marine environments. However, the specific biological sources of imported fauna are often difficult to identify, in particular if species have a wide spatial distribution and lack clear osteological or isotopic differentiation between populations. Here, we report that ancient fish-bone remains, despite being porous, brittle, and light, provide an excellent source of endogenous DNA (15-46%) of sufficient quality for whole-genome reconstruction. By comparing ancient sequence data to that of modern specimens, we determine the biological origin of 15 Viking Age (800-1066 CE) and subsequent medieval (1066-1280 CE) Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) specimens from excavation sites in Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Archaeological context indicates that one of these sites was a fishing settlement for the procurement of local catches, whereas the other localities were centers of trade. Fish from the trade sites show a mixed ancestry and are statistically differentiated from local fish populations. Moreover, Viking Age samples from Haithabu, Germany, are traced back to the North East Arctic Atlantic cod population that has supported the Lofoten fisheries of Norway for centuries. Our results resolve a long-standing controversial hypothesis and indicate that the marine resources of the North Atlantic Ocean were used to sustain an international demand for protein as far back as the Viking Age.
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| 5. |
- Epp, L. S., et al.
(författare)
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New environmental metabarcodes for analysing soil DNA: potential for studying past and present ecosystems
- 2012
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology. - 0962-1083. ; 21:8, s. 1821-1833
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metabarcoding approaches use total and typically degraded DNA from environmental samples to analyse biotic assemblages and can potentially be carried out for any kinds of organisms in an ecosystem. These analyses rely on specific markers, here called metabarcodes, which should be optimized for taxonomic resolution, minimal bias in amplification of the target organism group and short sequence length. Using bioinformatic tools, we developed metabarcodes for several groups of organisms: fungi, bryophytes, enchytraeids, beetles and birds. The ability of these metabarcodes to amplify the target groups was systematically evaluated by (i) in silico PCRs using all standard sequences in the EMBL public database as templates, (ii) in vitro PCRs of DNA extracts from surface soil samples from a site in Varanger, northern Norway and (iii) in vitro PCRs of DNA extracts from permanently frozen sediment samples of late-Pleistocene age (similar to 16 00050 000 years bp) from two Siberian sites, Duvanny Yar and Main River. Comparison of the results from the in silico PCR with those obtained in vitro showed that the in silico approach offered a reliable estimate of the suitability of a marker. All target groups were detected in the environmental DNA, but we found large variation in the level of detection among the groups and between modern and ancient samples. Success rates for the Pleistocene samples were highest for fungal DNA, whereas bryophyte, beetle and bird sequences could also be retrieved, but to a much lesser degree. The metabarcoding approach has considerable potential for biodiversity screening of modern samples and also as a palaeoecological tool.
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| 6. |
- Kersten, Oliver, et al.
(författare)
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Complex population structure of the Atlantic puffin revealed by whole genome analyses
- 2021
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The factors underlying gene flow and genomic population structure in vagile seabirds arenotoriously difficult to understand due to their complex ecology with diverse dispersal barriers and extensive periods at sea. Yet, such understanding is vital for conservation management of seabirds that are globally declining at alarming rates. Here, we elucidate thepopulation structure of the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) by assembling its referencegenome and analyzing genome-wide resequencing data of 72 individuals from 12 colonies.We identify four large, genetically distinct clusters, observe isolation-by-distance betweencolonies within these clusters, and obtain evidence for a secondary contact zone. Theseobservations disagree with the current taxonomy, and show that a complex set of contemporary biotic factors impede gene flow over different spatial scales. Our results highlightthe power of whole genome data to reveal unexpected population structure in vagile marineseabirds and its value for seabird taxonomy, evolution and conservation
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Jørgensen, Tine, et al.
(författare)
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A comparative study of ancient sedimentary DNA, pollen and macrofossils from permafrost sediments of Northern Siberia reveals long-term vegetational stability
- 2012
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology. - 0962-1083. ; 21:8, s. 1989-2003
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract in Undetermined Although ancient DNA from sediments (sedaDNA) has been used to investigate past ecosystems, the approach has never been directly compared with the traditional methods of pollen and macrofossil analysis. We conducted a comparative survey of 18 ancient permafrost samples spanning the Late Pleistocene (4612.5 thousand years ago), from the Taymyr Peninsula in northern Siberia. The results show that pollen, macrofossils and sedaDNA are complementary rather than overlapping and, in combination, reveal more detailed information on plant palaeocommunities than can be achieved by each individual approach. SedaDNA and macrofossils share greater overlap in plant identifications than with pollen, suggesting that sedaDNA is local in origin. These two proxies also permit identification to lower taxonomic levels than pollen, enabling investigation into temporal changes in species composition and the determination of indicator species to describe environmental changes. Combining data from all three proxies reveals an area continually dominated by a mosaic vegetation of tundra-steppe, pioneer and wet-indicator plants. Such vegetational stability is unexpected, given the severe climate changes taking place in the Northern Hemisphere during this time, with changes in average annual temperatures of >22 degrees C. This may explain the abundance of ice-age mammals such as horse and bison in Taymyr Peninsula during the Pleistocene and why it acted as a refugium for the last mainland woolly mammoth. Our finding reveals the benefits of combining sedaDNA, pollen and macrofossil for palaeovegetational reconstruction and adds to the increasing evidence suggesting large areas of the Northern Hemisphere remained ecologically stable during the Late Pleistocene.
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| 9. |
- Orr, Russell J.S., et al.
(författare)
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A molecular phylogeny of historical and contemporary specimens of an under-studied micro-invertebrate group
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 11:1, s. 309-320
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2020 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Resolution of relationships at lower taxonomic levels is crucial for answering many evolutionary questions, and as such, sufficiently varied species representation is vital. This latter goal is not always achievable with relatively fresh samples. To alleviate the difficulties in procuring rarer taxa, we have seen increasing utilization of historical specimens in building molecular phylogenies using high throughput sequencing. This effort, however, has mainly focused on large-bodied or well-studied groups, with small-bodied and under-studied taxa under-prioritized. Here, we utilize both historical and contemporary specimens, to increase the resolution of phylogenetic relationships among a group of under-studied and small-bodied metazoans, namely, cheilostome bryozoans. In this study, we pioneer the sequencing of air-dried cheilostomes, utilizing a recently developed library preparation method for low DNA input. We evaluate a de novo mitogenome assembly and two iterative methods, using the sequenced target specimen as a reference for mapping, for our sequences. In doing so, we present mitochondrial and ribosomal RNA sequences of 43 cheilostomes representing 37 species, including 14 from historical samples ranging from 50 to 149years old. The inferred phylogenetic relationships of these samples, analyzed together with publicly available sequence data, are shown in a statistically well-supported 65 taxa and 17 genes cheilostome tree, which is also the most broadly sampled and largest to date. The robust phylogenetic placement of historical samples whose contemporary conspecifics and/or congenerics have been sequenced verifies the appropriateness of our workflow and gives confidence in the phylogenetic placement of those historical samples for which there are no close relatives sequenced. The success of our workflow is highlighted by the circularization of a total of 27 mitogenomes, seven from historical cheilostome samples. Our study highlights the potential of utilizing DNA from micro-invertebrate specimens stored in natural history collections for resolving phylogenetic relationships among species.
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| 10. |
- Willerslev, E, et al.
(författare)
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Fifty thousand years of arctic vegetation change and megafauna diet
- 2014
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 506:7486, s. 47-47
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although it is generally agreed that the Arctic flora is among the youngest and least diverse on Earth, the processes that shaped it are poorly understood. Here we present 50 thousand years (kyr) of Arctic vegetation history, derived from the first large-scale ancient DNA metabarcoding study of circumpolar plant diversity. For this interval we also explore nematode diversity as a proxy for modelling vegetation cover and soil quality, and diets of herbivorous megafaunal mammals, many of which became extinct around 10 kyr bp (before present). For much of the period investigated, Arctic vegetation consisted of dry steppe-tundra dominated by forbs (non-graminoid herbaceous vascular plants). During the Last Glacial Maximum (25–15 kyr bp), diversity declined markedly, although forbs remained dominant. Much changed after 10 kyr bp, with the appearance of moist tundra dominated by woody plants and graminoids. Our analyses indicate that both graminoids and forbs would have featured in megafaunal diets. As such, our findings question the predominance of a Late Quaternary graminoid-dominated Arctic mammoth steppe.
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