TY - JOUR

T1 - Fossil avian eggshell preserves ancient DNA

AU - Oskam, Charlotte L

AU - Haile, James Seymour

AU - McLay, Emma

AU - Rigby, Paul

AU - Allentoft, Morten Erik

AU - Olsen, Maia E.

AU - Bengtsson, Camilla

AU - Miller, Gifford H.

AU - Schwenninger, Jean-Luc

AU - Jacomb, Christopher

AU - Walter, Richard

AU - Baynes, Alexander

AU - Dortch, Joe

AU - Parker-Pearson, Michael

AU - Gilbert, Tom

AU - Holdaway, Richard N.

AU - Willerslev, Eske

AU - Bunce, Michael

PY - 2010/7/7

Y1 - 2010/7/7

N2 - Owing to exceptional biomolecule preservation, fossil avian eggshell has been used extensively in geochronology and palaeodietary studies. Here, we show, to our knowledge, for the first time that fossil eggshell is a previously unrecognized source of ancient DNA (aDNA). We describe the successful isolation and amplification of DNA from fossil eggshell up to 19 ka old. aDNA was successfully characterized from eggshell obtained from New Zealand (extinct moa and ducks), Madagascar (extinct elephant birds) and Australia (emu and owl). Our data demonstrate excellent preservation of the nucleic acids, evidenced by retrieval of both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from many of the samples. Using confocal microscopy and quantitative PCR, this study critically evaluates approaches to maximize DNA recovery from powdered eggshell. Our quantitative PCR experiments also demonstrate that moa eggshell has approximately 125 times lower bacterial load than bone, making it a highly suitable substrate for high-throughput sequencing approaches. Importantly, the preservation of DNA in Pleistocene eggshell from Australia and Holocene deposits from Madagascar indicates that eggshell is an excellent substrate for the long-term preservation of DNA in warmer climates. The successful recovery of DNA from this substrate has implications in a number of scientific disciplines; most notably archaeology and palaeontology, where genotypes and/or DNA-based species identifications can add significantly to our understanding of diets, environments, past biodiversity and evolutionary processes.

AB - Owing to exceptional biomolecule preservation, fossil avian eggshell has been used extensively in geochronology and palaeodietary studies. Here, we show, to our knowledge, for the first time that fossil eggshell is a previously unrecognized source of ancient DNA (aDNA). We describe the successful isolation and amplification of DNA from fossil eggshell up to 19 ka old. aDNA was successfully characterized from eggshell obtained from New Zealand (extinct moa and ducks), Madagascar (extinct elephant birds) and Australia (emu and owl). Our data demonstrate excellent preservation of the nucleic acids, evidenced by retrieval of both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from many of the samples. Using confocal microscopy and quantitative PCR, this study critically evaluates approaches to maximize DNA recovery from powdered eggshell. Our quantitative PCR experiments also demonstrate that moa eggshell has approximately 125 times lower bacterial load than bone, making it a highly suitable substrate for high-throughput sequencing approaches. Importantly, the preservation of DNA in Pleistocene eggshell from Australia and Holocene deposits from Madagascar indicates that eggshell is an excellent substrate for the long-term preservation of DNA in warmer climates. The successful recovery of DNA from this substrate has implications in a number of scientific disciplines; most notably archaeology and palaeontology, where genotypes and/or DNA-based species identifications can add significantly to our understanding of diets, environments, past biodiversity and evolutionary processes.

KW - Animals

KW - Australia

KW - Birds

KW - DNA

KW - DNA, Mitochondrial

KW - Dromaiidae

KW - Ducks

KW - Egg Shell

KW - Extinction, Biological

KW - Fossils

KW - Madagascar

KW - Microscopy, Confocal

KW - Molecular Sequence Data

KW - New Zealand

KW - Paleontology

KW - Polymerase Chain Reaction

KW - Sequence Analysis, DNA

KW - Strigiformes

U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2009.2019

DO - 10.1098/rspb.2009.2019

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 20219731

VL - 277

SP - 1991

EP - 2000

JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

SN - 0962-8452

IS - 1690

ER -