Discovering the Secrets of Ancient Plants: Recovery of DNA from Museum and Archaeological Plant Specimens

Oscar Estrada; Stephen M Richards; James Breen

doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-2429-6_15

Discovering the Secrets of Ancient Plants: Recovery of DNA from Museum and Archaeological Plant Specimens

Methods Mol Biol. 2022:2512:261-267. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2429-6_15.

Authors

Oscar Estrada^{1

2

3}, Stephen M Richards⁴, James Breen⁵

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR 5288, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France. [email protected].
² Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD), School of Biological Science, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia. [email protected].
³ Grupo de Agrobiotecnología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. [email protected].
⁴ Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD), School of Biological Science, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
⁵ Indigenous Genomics, Telethon Kids Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

PMID: 35818010
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2429-6_15

Abstract

Plant DNA preserved in ancient specimens has recently gained importance as a tool in comparative genomics, allowing the investigation of evolutionary processes in plant genomes through time. However, recovering the genomic information contained in such specimens is challenging owing to the presence of secondary substances that limit DNA retrieval. In this chapter, we provide a DNA extraction protocol optimized for the recovery of DNA from degraded plant materials. The protocol is based on a commercially available DNA extraction kit that does not require handling of hazardous reagents.

Keywords: Ancient plant DNA; DNA extraction; Herbarium; Paleogenomics; Plant genetics; Seed DNA extraction.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

DNA, Plant / genetics
Genomics / methods
Museums*
Plants* / genetics
Sequence Analysis, DNA / methods

Substances

DNA, Plant