Ancient whole genome enrichment using baits built from modern DNA
Study validating the use of reference-free bait synthesis for whole-genome enrichment.
Feb 26, 2014
Authors: Jacob Enk, Alison Devault, Melanie Kuch, Yusuf Murgha, Jean-Marie Rouillard, and Hendrik Poinar
Molecular Biology and Evolution, February 13, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msu074
Abstract
We report metrics from complete genome capture of nuclear DNA from extinct mammoths using biotinylated RNAs transcribed from an Asian elephant DNA extract. Enrichment of the nuclear genome ranged from 1.06- to 18.65-fold, to an apparent maximum threshold of about 80% on-target. This projects an order of magnitude less costly complete genome sequencing from long-dead organisms, even when a reference genome is unavailable for bait design.