Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Award: DNA Analysis As A Tool For Understanding Population Movement

博士论文改进奖：DNA分析作为理解人口运动的工具

• 批准号: 1622479
• 负责人: Anne Stone
• 金额: $ 2.5万
• 依托单位: Arizona State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-05-01 至 2018-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1622479&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Award; DNA

Research on migration in Archaeology has largely focused on its role as an agent of cultural change. However, migration and genetic admixture are also drivers of biological change and adaptation. Consequently, characterizing how ancient migrations shape genetic diversity is vital to inform understanding of biological ancestry, cultural evolution, and health outcomes in admixed human populations. But, because modern populations do not retain all the genomic diversity of ancient groups, genetic research with contemporary individuals provides limited resolution for reconstructing ancient demographic events. This limitation can be addressed by combining archaeological questions with ancient DNA. This investigation characterizes the genetic diversity of ancient human groups and test hypotheses about their relationships to other ancient and modern populations. Specifically, ancient DNA obtained from human skeletal remains in three archaeological sites (Tibes, Punta Candelero and Paso del Indio) will be analyzed to investigate the role of migration and genetic admixture in the history of pre-Columbian populations from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. The project incorporates training of undergraduate students in laboratory and analytical methods and contributes to the participation of underrepresented groups in the sciences through training of a female, Puerto Rican doctoral student. The researchers will engage the public by disseminating project findings through Ask-A Biologist, an online resource for students, teachers and the public, and by collaborating with archaeologists and the Ceremonial Center of Tibes site museum to integrate findings in public site tours. A significant aspect of this research is the optimization of protocols for DNA recovery from degraded skeletal remains. This methodological development improves ancient DNA recovery from remains in tropical environments, and can be extended to forensic applications where DNA may be damaged due to corpse deposition in adverse preservation contexts. Debate remains about how many migrants settled the island of Puerto Rico in antiquity, where they came from, and how these processes influenced social interaction networks across the ancient Caribbean basin. This investigation compares ancient mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from skeletal remains dated A.D. 500-1300, with data from other modern and ancient indigenous populations of the Americas to determine: (1) How were ancient populations in Puerto Rico related to continental Native American groups, and what may this indicate about their origins? (2) What was the extent of gene flow in the pre-contact Caribbean, and what may this indicate about local social interaction? Project findings reassess existing models for the peopling of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, and explore how migration and admixture shaped the biocultural diversity of ancient Caribbean populations. By also examining the extent of inter-island migration and genetic exchange, this investigation elucidates the role of kinship, residence patterns and mobility in the maintenance of interaction networks across the pre-Columbian Caribbean. Lastly, this study also sheds light on the genetic relationships between pre-Columbian populations and modern Puerto Ricans, the second largest Hispanic group in the USA. Given the growing role that Native American ethnicity plays in contemporary Puerto Rican culture, project results have implications for the construction and experience of modern Puerto Rican identity.

考古学中的移民研究主要集中在其作为文化变革推动者的作用。然而，迁徙和遗传混合也是生物变化和适应的驱动因素。因此，描述古代迁徙如何塑造遗传多样性对于了解混合人群的生物祖先、文化进化和健康结果至关重要。但是，由于现代人群并没有保留古代群体的所有基因组多样性，因此对当代个体的基因研究为重建古代人口事件提供了有限的解决方案。这一限制可以通过将考古问题与古代 DNA 相结合来解决。这项研究描绘了古代人类群体的遗传多样性，并检验了有关他们与其他古代和现代群体关系的假设。具体来说，将对从三个考古遗址（蒂布斯、蓬塔坎德莱罗和帕索德尔印第奥）的人类骨骼遗骸中获得的古代 DNA 进行分析，以研究迁徙和遗传混合在来自加勒比海波多黎各岛的前哥伦布时期人口历史中的作用。该项目包括对本科生进行实验室和分析方法方面的培训，并通过培训一名波多黎各女性博士生，促进代表性不足的群体参与科学领域。研究人员将通过“询问生物学家”（一种面向学生、教师和公众的在线资源）传播项目研究结果，并与考古学家和提比斯仪式中心遗址博物馆合作，将研究成果整合到公共遗址游览中，从而吸引公众参与。这项研究的一个重要方面是优化从降解的骨骼遗骸中回收 DNA 的方案。这种方法的发展改善了热带环境中遗骸中古代 DNA 的恢复，并且可以扩展到法医应用，在法医应用中，DNA 可能因尸体沉积在不利的保存环境中而受损。关于古代有多少移民定居在波多黎各岛、他们来自哪里，以及这些过程如何影响整个古代加勒比海盆地的社会互动网络，仍然存在争议。这项调查将公元 500-1300 年骨骼遗骸中的古代线粒体和核 DNA 与美洲其他现代和古代土著人口的数据进行了比较，以确定：(1) 波多黎各的古代人口与美洲大陆原住民群体有何关系，以及这可能表明它们的起源是什么？ (2) 接触前加勒比海地区的基因流动程度如何？这对当地社会互动有何启示？项目研究结果重新评估了波多黎各和加勒比地区人口的现有模型，并探讨了迁徙和混合如何塑造了古代加勒比地区人口的生物文化多样性。通过研究岛间迁移和基因交换的程度，这项调查阐明了亲属关系、居住模式和流动性在维持前哥伦布时期加勒比地区互动网络中的作用。最后，这项研究还揭示了前哥伦布时期人口与现代波多黎各人（美国第二大西班牙裔群体）之间的遗传关系。鉴于美洲原住民种族在当代波多黎各文化中发挥的日益重要的作用，项目结果对现代波多黎各身份的构建和体验具有重要意义。