Methologies for the analysis of an ancient dna: contribution to biocultural study of pre-hispanic populations

Abstract

dna extracted from hundreds or thousands of year old bones is very important for the population of genetic studies. It contributes to the archaeological, forensic, and evolutional analysis. The ancient dna (dnaa) is rapidly degraded into short fragments and show chemical post-mortem modifications. For this reasons, it is especially susceptible to contamination. We show the first results of our standardized protocols of dnaa extraction and amplification techniques in our laboratory. The Electronic Microscope Transmission analysis showed collagen fibers persevered in the ancient tissue. We analyzed human, mammoth, and horse bones from archaeological sites. We observed marked differences between fragments of femur, rib, vertebra, and phalanx. Different extraction methodologies have been reported of dnaa, and we observed the silica-based method rendered amplified products obtained from femur and phalanxes (from Veracruz and Teotihuacan). These results coincide with the preserved collagen fibers observed in the same sample; it could support the presence of dnaa. The methodology used in this work was appropriated and we obtained amplification success.