Rapid screening of ancient DNA extracts through uracil detection
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Paleogenetic studies provide invaluable insights into past populations. However, the success of ancient DNA retrieval remains difficult to predict. Ancient DNA workflows are time consuming and costly, motivating methods to assess preservation at an early stage. One defining molecular feature of ancient DNA is the accumulation of uracil residues through postmortem cytosine deamination. Here, we leverage a uracil-DNA-specific labeling assay, originally developed for modern DNA, to evaluate whether extracts contain ancient DNA molecules. The assay, which requires only two days to complete, quantifies uracil residues using a uracil-DNA-binding protein and antibody-based labeling. After demonstrating reliable immobilization of short DNA fragments, we applied the assay to twenty archaeological samples spanning diverse contexts. Extracts with the highest inferred uracil contents were more likely to contain ancient DNA, whereas the lowest-ranked extracts were consistently negative. This assay may facilitate early prioritization of promising extracts and deprioritization of samples unlikely to yield informative sequencing data.
Source: iScience
Authors: Nihan Dilşad Dağtaş, Viktória Perey-Simon, Fabrizio Mafessoni, Dheeraj Chaudhary, Azhar Jabareen, Aviva Lindell, Valentina Vanghi, Krzysztof Cyrek, Andrew W. Kandel, Maciej T. Krajcarz, Magdalena Krajcarz, György Lengyel, Manuel Ángel Rojo-Guerra, Shmuel Safra, Policarpo Sánchez-Yustos, Ron Shimelmitz, Magdalena Sudoł-Procyk, Jarosław Wilczyński, Eszter Holub, Angéla Békési, Beáta G. Vértessy, Viviane Slon
Institutions: Tel Aviv University, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, University of Trieste, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, University of Tübingen, Instytut Nauk Geologicznych, Polish Academy of Sciences, University of Miskolc, Hungarian National Museum, Universidad de Valladolid, University of Haifa, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,240
Funders: John Templeton Foundation, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation, Nemzeti Kutatási és Technológiai Hivatal, Israel Science Foundation, Narodowe Centrum Nauki, Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, National Research, Development and Innovation Office
OpenAlex ID: W7221970666