Extraction of nuclear DNA from bone of skeletonized and fluid-preserved museum specimens

摘要

Obtaining DNA sequences, particularly nuclear DNA, from museum specimens is challenging. We sequenced nuclear DNA from small bone fragments of skeletonized and fluid-fixed museum specimens of squamate reptiles by using a forensic protocol developed for isolating DNA from human bones. The method yielded high quality nuclear DNA sequences from bones taken from 11 of 21 (52.4%) skeletonized or desiccated specimens, the oldest of which dated back to 1938, and 1 of 9 (11.1%) fluid-preserved specimens, which was collected in 1957.