Mitochondrial DNA of the extinct quagga: Relatedness and extent of postmortem change

Abstract

Sequences are reported for portions of two mitochondrial genes from a domestic horse and a plains zebra and compared to those published for a quagga and a mountain zebra. The extinct quagga and plains zebra sequences are identical at all silent sites, whereas the horse sequence differs from both of them by 11 silent substitutions. Postmortem changes in quagga DNA may account for the two coding substitutions between the quagga and plains zebra sequences. The hypothesis that the closest relative of the quagga is the domestic horse receives no support from these data. From the extent of sequence divergence between horse and zebra mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs), as well as from information about the fossil record, we estimate that the mean rate of mtDNA divergence in Equus is similar to that in other mammals, i.e., roughly 2% per million years.

Tracking the origins of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) by mitochondrial DNA sequencing.

“…Thus, special care against accidental introduction of contaminants into the templates must be taken when working with ancient samples. Because molecules of ancient DNA are highly damaged, the Taq polymerase sometimes does make errors and creates artifactual mutations (25). For these two reasons (contamination and artifactual mutations) it is particularly important to assess carefully the authenticity ofthe amplified ancient sequence.…”

“…Two grams of powder was dissolved in 9 ml of 0. 25,000 to 40,000 years old and from one subfossil bone of U. arctos. Fig.…”

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