@article{HuynenSuzukiOguraetal.2014,
  author    = {Huynen, Leon and Suzuki, Takayuki and Ogura, Toshihiko and Watanabe, Yusuke and Millar, Craig D. and Hofreiter, Michael and Smith, Craig and Mirmoeini, Sara and Lambert, David M.},
  title     = {Reconstruction and in vivo analysis of the extinct tbx5 gene from ancient wingless moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes)},
  series = {BMC evolutionary biology},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {BMC evolutionary biology},
  publisher = {BioMed Central},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {1471-2148},
  doi       = {10.1186/1471-2148-14-75},
  pages     = {8},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Background: The forelimb-specific gene tbx5 is highly conserved and essential for the development of forelimbs in zebrafish, mice, and humans. Amongst birds, a single order, Dinornithiformes, comprising the extinct wingless moa of New Zealand, are unique in having no skeletal evidence of forelimb-like structures. Results: To determine the sequence of tbx5 in moa, we used a range of PCR-based techniques on ancient DNA to retrieve all nine tbx5 exons and splice sites from the giant moa, Dinornis. Moa Tbx5 is identical to chicken Tbx5 in being able to activate the downstream promotors of fgf10 and ANF. In addition we show that missexpression of moa tbx5 in the hindlimb of chicken embryos results in the formation of forelimb features, suggesting that Tbx5 was fully functional in wingless moa. An alternatively spliced exon 1 for tbx5 that is expressed specifically in the forelimb region was shown to be almost identical between moa and ostrich, suggesting that, as well as being fully functional, tbx5 is likely to have been expressed normally in moa since divergence from their flighted ancestors, approximately 60 mya.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ElsnerSchiblerHofreiteretal.2015,
  author    = {Elsner, Julia and Schibler, Joerg and Hofreiter, Michael and Schlumbaum, Angela},
  title     = {Burial condition is the most important factor for mtDNA PCR amplification success in Palaeolithic equid remains from the Alpine foreland},
  series = {Archaeological and anthropological sciences},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Archaeological and anthropological sciences},
  number    = {4},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Heidelberg},
  issn      = {1866-9557},
  doi       = {10.1007/s12520-014-0213-4},
  pages     = {505 -- 515},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Faunal remains from Palaeolithic sites are important genetic sources to study preglacial and postglacial populations and to investigate the effect of climate change and human impact. Post mortem decay, resulting in fragmented and chemically modified DNA, is a key obstacle in ancient DNA analyses. In the absence of reliable methods to determine the presence of endogenous DNA in sub-fossil samples, temporal and spatial surveys of DNA survival on a regional scale may help to estimate the potential of faunal remains from a given time period and region. We therefore investigated PCR amplification success, PCR performance and post mortem damage in c. 47,000 to c. 12,000-year-old horse remains from 14 Palaeolithic sites along the Swiss Jura Mountains in relation to depositional context, tissue type, storage time and age, potentially influencing DNA preservation. The targeted 75 base pair mitochondrial DNA fragment could be amplified solely from equid remains from caves and not from any of the open dry and (temporary) wetland sites. Whether teeth are better than bones cannot be ultimately decided; however, both storage time after excavation and age significantly affect PCR amplification and performance, albeit not in a linear way. This is best explained by the-inevitable-heterogeneity of the data set. The extent of post mortem damage is not related to any of the potential impact factors. The results encourage comprehensive investigations of Palaeolithic cave sites, even from temperate regions.},
  language  = {en}
}