The influence of sample quantity and lysis parameters on the success of ancient DNA extraction from skeletal remains

DNA extraction is of utmost importance in archaeobiology, as it determines the success of further DNA analyses. This study concentrates on the success of ancient DNA extraction using silica spin columns and PCR-based analysis from archaeological skeletal material and investigates the influence of sample quantity, lysis time and lysis temperature during sample preparation. The results show that lysis times ranging from 2 to 48 h are suitable, and that lysis should be carried out at a constant temperature of 56 degrees C. Concerning sample quantity, 10 mg for mitochondrial DNA and 50 mg for chromosomal DNA are sufficient for high quality analyses. Thus invaluable sample material can be saved, and time of sample preparation can be reduced considerably. METHOD SUMMARY An optimized protocol for sample preparation for the extraction of ancient DNA from archaeological skeletal material is presented. The tested and optimized parameters were sample quantity, lysis duration and lysis temperature.