Study: Hair good source of ancient DNA

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Sept. 27 (UPI) -- A U.S.-led study suggests hair shafts are a better source of ancient DNA than bones or muscle for studying the genomes of extinct animals.

The study was led by Stephan Schuster and Webb Miller at Penn State University's Center for Comparative Genomics and Bioinformatics -- working with Thomas Gilbert of the University of Copenhagen's Center for Ancient Genetics, as well as museum curators and scientists from Belgium, Britain, France, Italy, Sweden, Russia and the United States.

The researchers used hair shafts to obtain entire mitochondrial genomes from 10 woolly mammoths, whereas only seven mitochondrial genomes from extinct animals had previously been published.

"DNA in bones and muscle usually degrades and becomes contaminated with genetic material from other sources, such as bacteria, limiting its usefulness in scientific studies," Schuster said.

"We realized that the keratin in hair could protect the DNA it contains from outside influences, and hence from the sorts of degradation that affect DNA in other parts of the body, such as bone," Gilbert added.

In addition, Miller said the study demonstrates hair provides greater efficiency for divining the genetic makeup of ancient species.

The research appears in the Sept. 28 issue of the journal Science.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

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