A new era in palaeomicrobiology: prospects for ancient dental calculus as a long-term record of the human oral microbiome

The field of palaeomicrobiology is dramatically expanding thanks to recent advances in high-throughput biomolecular sequencing, which allows unprecedented access to the evolutionary history and ecology of human-associated and environmental microbes. Recently, human dental calculus has been shown to...

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Published inPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological sciences Vol. 370; no. 1660; p. 20130376
Main Authors Warinner, Christina, Speller, Camilla, Collins, Matthew J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England The Royal Society 19.01.2015
Subjects
Ancient Dna
Archaeology - methods
Archaeology - trends
Dental Calculus
Dental Calculus - microbiology
Fossils
High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing - methods
High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing - trends
Humans
Metagenomics
Metaproteomics
Microbiological Techniques - methods
Microbiological Techniques - trends
Microbiota - genetics
Oral Microbiome
Palaeomicrobiology
Paleodontology - methods
Paleodontology - trends
Part II: Human Evolution and Ancient Diseases
Review
oral microbiome
dental calculus
metaproteomics
ancient DNA
metagenomics
palaeomicrobiology
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Summary:The field of palaeomicrobiology is dramatically expanding thanks to recent advances in high-throughput biomolecular sequencing, which allows unprecedented access to the evolutionary history and ecology of human-associated and environmental microbes. Recently, human dental calculus has been shown to be an abundant, nearly ubiquitous, and long-term reservoir of the ancient oral microbiome, preserving not only microbial and host biomolecules but also dietary and environmental debris. Modern investigations of native human microbiota have demonstrated that the human microbiome plays a central role in health and chronic disease, raising questions about changes in microbial ecology, diversity and function through time. This paper explores the current state of ancient oral microbiome research and discusses successful applications, methodological challenges and future possibilities in elucidating the intimate evolutionary relationship between humans and their microbes.
Bibliography:Discussion meeting issue ‘Ancient DNA: the first three decades’ organized and edited by Erika Hagelberg, Michael Hofreiter and Christine Keyser
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One contribution of 19 to a discussion meeting issue ‘Ancient DNA: the first three decades’.
ISSN:0962-8436
1471-2970
DOI:10.1098/rstb.2013.0376