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Ancient bacteria show evidence of DNA repair

Author

  • Sarah Stewart Johnson
  • Martin B. Hebsgaard
  • Torben Christensen
  • Mikhail Mastepanov
  • Rasmus Nielsen
  • Kasper Munch
  • Tina Brand
  • M. Thomas
  • P. Gilbert
  • Maria T. Zuber
  • Michael Bunce
  • Regin Ronn
  • David Gilichinsky
  • Duane Froese
  • Eske Willerslev

Summary, in English

Recent claims of cultivable ancient bacteria within sealed environments highlight our limited understanding of the mechanisms behind long-term cell survival. It remains unclear how dormancy, a favored explanation for extended cellular persistence, can cope with spontaneous genomic decay over geological timescales. There has been no direct evidence in ancient microbes for the most likely mechanism, active DNA repair, or for the metabolic activity necessary to sustain it. In this paper, we couple PCR and enzymatic treatment of DNA with direct respiration measurements to investigate long-term survival of bacteria sealed in frozen conditions for up to one million years. Our results show evidence of bacterial survival in samples up to half a million years in age, making this the oldest independently authenticated DNA to date obtained from viable cells. Additionally, we find strong evidence that this long-term survival is closely tied to cellular metabolic activity and DNA repair that over time proves to be superior to dormancy as a mechanism in sustaining bacteria viability.

Publishing year

2007

Language

English

Pages

14401-14405

Publication/Series

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Volume

104

Issue

36

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

National Academy of Sciences

Topic

  • Physical Geography

Keywords

  • DNA damage
  • long-term microbial survival
  • metabolic activity

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1091-6490