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Reconstructed ancient protein maps how bacterial enzymes evolved distinct functions
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In Short: Researchers have reconstructed ancient bacterial genomes from teeth, uncovering previously unknown strains of plague that lacked key features for efficient spread.
An international team of scientists has used genetic material preserved in ancient teeth to reconstruct bacterial genomes from early strains of plague, revealing previously unknown forms of the disease. According to reports, these ancient strains lacked genetic features that later allowed the plague to spread efficiently through fleas and rodent hosts.
The researchers identified a distinctive superantigen in these ancient plague strains, which may have contributed to their lethality. Senior author Eske Willerslev, a professor at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Cambridge, stated, 'Whether the earliest forms of plague were mild or virulent has been a matter of debate, but our findings demonstrate that these ancient strains were already highly lethal.
The study, which examined ancient DNA from human remains recovered at four hunter-gatherer cemeteries near Lake Baikal in East Siberia, provides new insights into the evolution of bacterial enzymes and the distinct functions they developed over time. Earlier research had suggested that these ancient strains lacked some of the genetic features that allowed later strains to spread efficiently through fleas and rodent hosts.
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- Single-source account; further confirmation still arriving.
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- Sciencedailylink