Analyses of DNA from ancient bones of a pre-Columbian Cuban woman and a child

Abstract

Molecular anthropology has brought new possibilities into the study of ancient human populations. Amplification of chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been successfully employed in analyses of ancient bone material. Although several studies have reported on continental Amerindian populations, none have addressed the ancient populations inhabiting the Caribbean islands. We used STR and mtDNA analyses to study the skeletal remains of a Cuban Ciboney female adult holding an infant. Results showed that for the STR analyzed the skeletal remains shared common alleles, suggesting a relationship. Mitochondrial DNA analysis showed sequence identity, thus corroborating a possible mother-child relationship. The mtDNA sequence grouped these remains into haplogroup A, commonly found in Amerindian populations. Based on these results, we speculated on a South American origin of pre-Columbian Antilles populations and possible infanticide practices in these populations. This constitutes the first report on DNA analysis of ancient pre-Columbian Cuban populations.

Human identification and analysis of DNA in bones

“…The studies of human bones through the mtDNA could help in the identification of human skeletal remains, as well as clarify historical past events. 1,17,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27] The mtDNA extracted from human bones (human femur obtained from a cemetery, about 750 years old, recent tibia from a skeleton buried in Argentina for about 13 years, a fibula from Polynesia dated before 1778) as well as animal bones (pig bones from 1545) and amplified by PCR demonstrated that significant amounts of genetic information could survive for long periods of time. All samples were collected from excavations and stored in boxes for many years.…”

Molecular variability in Amerindians: widespread but uneven information

“…Reports describing less than 10 individuals include: (a) Kolman and Tuross (2000), Plains region, west of USA, five skeletons, two B, two C, one undetermined; (b) Lleonart et al (1999), Marien 2, Cuba, two skeletons, mother and child, both A; (c) Monsalve et al (1996), eight Colombian mummies, five A, one B, two C; (d) Rogan and Salvo (1990), two mummies from Camarones, Azapa, Chile who did not present the 9 bp deletion, and therefore were non-B; and (e) Ramos et al (1995b), bones and teeth from two Fueguian Indians, whose mtDNA was classified as belonging to haplogroups C and D, respectively.…”

A genetic history of the pre-contact Caribbean

“…Ancient DNA data from the Caribbean to date comes from mitochondrial DNA [9][10][11][12][13] as well as genomewide data from a 1,000 year-old individual from The Bahamas 14 and two ancient individuals from Puerto Rico 13 . We screened 208 individuals for evidence of authentic ancient DNA (Supplementary Data 1) and generated genome-wide data passing standard criteria for authenticity for 184 unique ancient individuals who lived between ~3150-300 calibrated years (cal.…”