RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Exceptional ancient DNA preservation and fibre remains of a Sasanian saltmine sheep mummy in Chehrābād, Iran
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.04.15.439892
DO 10.1101/2021.04.15.439892
A1 Conor Rossi
A1 Gabriela Ruß-Popa
A1 Valeria Mattiangeli
A1 Fionnuala McDaid
A1 Andrew J. Hare
A1 Hossein Davoudi
A1 Haeedeh Laleh
A1 Zahra Lorzadeh
A1 Roya Khazaeli
A1 Homa Fathi
A1 Matthew D. Teasdale
A1 Abolfazl A’ali
A1 Thomas Stöllner
A1 Marjan Mashkour
A1 Kevin G. Daly
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/04/22/2021.04.15.439892.abstract
AB Mummified remains have long attracted interest as a potential source of ancient DNA. However, mummification is a rare process that requires an anhydrous environment to rapidly dehydrate and preserve tissue before complete decomposition occurs. We present the whole genome sequences of a ∼1600 year old naturally mummified sheep recovered from Chehrābād, a salt mine in northwestern Iran. Comparative analyses of published ancient sequences revealed remarkable DNA integrity of this mummy. Hallmarks of postmortem damage, fragmentation and hydrolytic deamination, are substantially reduced, likely due to the high-salinity of this taphonomic environment. Metagenomic analyses reflect the profound influence of high salt content on decomposition; its microbial profile is predominated by halophilic archaea and bacteria, possibly contributing to the preservation of this sample. Applying population genomic analyses we find consistent clustering of this sheep with Southwest Asian modern breeds, suggesting ancestry continuity. Genotyping of a locus influencing the woolly phenotype showed the existence of an ancestral “hairy” allele in this sheep, consistent with hair fibre imaging, further elucidating Sasanian-period animal husbandry.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.