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Feldman M, Hershkovitz I, Sklan EH, Kahila Bar-Gal G, Pap I, Szikossy I, Rosin-Arbesfeld R. Detection of a Tumor Suppressor Gene Variant Predisposing to Colorectal Cancer in an 18th Century Hungarian Mummy. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0147217. [PMID: 26863316 PMCID: PMC4749341 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations of the Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene are common and strongly associated with the development of colorectal adenomas and carcinomas. While extensively studied in modern populations, reports on visceral tumors in ancient populations are scarce. To the best of our knowledge, genetic characterization of mutations associated with colorectal cancer in ancient specimens has not yet been described. In this study we have sequenced hotspots for mutations in the APC gene isolated from 18th century naturally preserved human Hungarian mummies. While wild type APC sequences were found in two mummies, we discovered the E1317Q missense mutation, known to be a colorectal cancer predisposing mutation, in a large intestine tissue of an 18th century mummy. Our data suggests that this genetic predisposition to cancer already existed in the pre-industrialization era. This study calls for similar investigations of ancient specimens from different periods and geographical locations to be conducted and shared for the purpose of obtaining a larger scale analysis that will shed light on past cancer epidemiology and on cancer evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Feldman
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail:
| | - Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ella H. Sklan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ildikó Pap
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ildikó Szikossy
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Rina Rosin-Arbesfeld
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Gaul JS, Winter E, Grossschmidt K. Ancient pathogens in museal dry bone specimens: analysis of paleocytology and aDNA. Wien Med Wochenschr 2015; 165:133-9. [PMID: 25994097 DOI: 10.1007/s10354-015-0357-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Bone samples investigated in this study derive from the pathologic-anatomical collection of the Natural History Museum of Vienna. In order to explore the survival of treponemes and treponemal ancient DNA in museal dry bone specimens, we analyzed three individuals known to have been infected with Treponema pallidum pallidum. No reproducible evidence of surviving pathogen's ancient DNA (aDNA) was obtained, despite the highly sensitive extraction and amplification techniques (TPP15 and arp). Additionally, decalcification fluid of bone sections was smear stained with May-Gruenwald-Giemsa. The slides were examined using direct light microscope and dark field illumination. Remnants of spirochetal structures were detectable in every smear. Our results demonstrate that aDNA is unlikely to survive, but spirochetal remains are stainable and thus detectable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Sophia Gaul
- Department of Anthropology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria,
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Hershkovitz I, Spigelman M, Sarig R, Lim DS, Lee IS, Oh CS, May H, Boaretto E, Kim YS, Lee SD, Peled N, Kim MJ, Toledano T, Bar-Gal GK, Shin DH. A possible case of cherubism in a 17th-century Korean mummy. PLoS One 2014; 9:e102441. [PMID: 25093864 PMCID: PMC4122385 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Accepted: 05/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cherubism is a benign fibro-osseous disease of childhood limited specifically to the maxilla and mandible. The progressive replacement of the jaw bones with expansile multilocular cystic lesions causes eventual prominence of the lower face, and hence the classic “cherubic” phenotype reflecting variable extents of jaw hypertrophy. Histologically, this condition has been characterized as replacement of the normal bone matrix with multicystic pockets of fibrous stroma and osteoclastic giant cells. Because of radiographic features common to both, primarily the presence of multiloculated lucencies with heterogeneous “ground-glass” sclerosis on CT imaging, cherubism was long mistaken for a craniofacial subtype of fibrous dysplasia. In 1999, however, the distinct genetic basis for cherubism was mapped to chromosome 4p16.3 and the SH-3 binding protein SH3BP2. But while there are already three suspected cases of fibrous dysplasia amongst archaeological populations, no definitive cases of cherubism have yet been reported in historical populations. In the current study we describe micro- and macro-structural changes in the face of a 17th century Joseon Dynasty Korean mummy which may coincide with the clinic-pathologic and radiologic features of cherubism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail: (IH); (DHS)
| | - Mark Spigelman
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Rachel Sarig
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Do-Sun Lim
- Department of Dental Hygiene, Eulji University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - In Sun Lee
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Chang Seok Oh
- Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hila May
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Elisabetta Boaretto
- D-REAMS Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yi-Suk Kim
- Department of Anatomy, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Soong Deok Lee
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Forensic Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Nathan Peled
- Department of Radiology, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
| | - Myeung Ju Kim
- Department of Anatomy, Dankook University College of Medicine, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Talya Toledano
- Department of Radiology, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- Department of Virology, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Dong Hoon Shin
- Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- * E-mail: (IH); (DHS)
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Barnes I, Thomas MG. Evaluating bacterial pathogen DNA preservation in museum osteological collections. Proc Biol Sci 2006; 273:645-53. [PMID: 16608682 PMCID: PMC1560077 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2005.3339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2005] [Accepted: 09/20/2005] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reports of bacterial pathogen DNA sequences obtained from archaeological bone specimens raise the possibility of greatly improving our understanding of the history of infectious diseases. However, the survival of pathogen DNA over long time periods is poorly characterized, and scepticism remains about the reliability of these data. In order to explore the survival of bacterial pathogen DNA in bone specimens, we analysed samples from 59 eighteenth and twentieth century individuals known to have been infected with either Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Treponema pallidum. No reproducible evidence of surviving pathogen DNA was obtained, despite the use of extraction and PCR-amplification methods determined to be highly sensitive. These data suggest that previous studies need to be interpreted with caution, and we propose that a much greater emphasis is placed on understanding how pathogen DNA survives in archaeological material, and how its presence can be properly verified and used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Barnes
- Department of Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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Bräuer G, Groden C, Delling G, Kupczik K, Mbua E, Schultz M. Pathological alterations in the archaic Homo sapiens cranium from Eliye Springs, Kenya. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2003; 120:200-4. [PMID: 12541337 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.10144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
This paper reports on the results of a first computerized tomography (CT)-based study of the Middle Pleistocene matrix-filled skull KNM-ES 11693 from Eliye Springs at Lake Turkana. Ectocranially, the hominid cranium exhibits a remarkable enlargement of the vault symmetrical to the sagittal suture and a porotic surface covering most of the vault. CT analysis further revealed a strong thickening of the cranial vault as well as other relevant aspects. Differential diagnosis suggests that the changes of the Eliye Springs cranium were probably caused by chronic anemia in the childhood or youth of this individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Günter Bräuer
- Institute of Human Biology, University of Hamburg, Allende-Platz2, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
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Das SK, Talukder G. A review on the origin and spread of deleterious mutants of the beta-globin gene in Indian populations. HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2002; 52:93-109. [PMID: 11802568 DOI: 10.1078/0018-442x-00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Deleterious mutations of the human beta-globin gene are responsible for beta-thalassaemia and other haemoglobinopathies, which are the most common genetic diseases in Indian populations. A highly heterogeneous distribution of those mutations is observed in India and certain mutations are restricted to some extent to particular groups only. The reasons behind the geographical clustering and origin of the mutations in India is a highly debated issue and the evidence is conflicting. Our present article aims at tracing the origin of the deleterious beta-globin mutation and evaluates the role of different evolutionary forces responsible for the spread and present distribution of those mutations in Indian populations, using data from molecular biology and statistical methods. Mutations are generated essentially randomly, but "hot-spot" sites for mutation are reported for the beta-globin gene cluster, indicating sequence dependency of mutation. A single origin of a deleterious beta-globin mutation, followed by recombination (in a hot spot region) and/or interallelic gene conversion (within beta-globin gene) through time is the most plausible hypothesis to explain the association of those mutations with multiple haplotype backgrounds and frameworks. It is suggested that India is the place of origin of HbE and HbD mutations and that they dispersed to other parts of the would by migration. HbS mutants present in Indian populations are not of Middle East origin but rather a fresh mutation is the probable explanation for the prevalence among tribal groups. beta-thalassaemia represents a heterogeneous group of mutant alleles in India. Five common and twelve rare mutations have been reported in variable frequencies among different Indian populations. Gene flow of those mutant alleles from different populations of the world by political, military and commercial interactions possibly accounts for the heterogenous nature of beta-thalassaemia among Indians. A multiple allelic polymorphic system of the beta-globin gene exists in different populations. Dynamic interaction of the mutant alleles in the presence of different selective forces including falciparum malaria and biosocial patterns of Indian populations is discussed in order to explain the variable distribution and maintenance of those mutant alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- S K Das
- J.L. McCellan Veteran's Hospital, 4300 West 7th Street, Slot J111-1/6E, Little Rock, AR 72205-5446, USA.
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