A new era in palaeomicrobiology: Prospects for ancient dental calculus as a long-term record of the human oral microbiome

TY - JOUR

T1 - A new era in palaeomicrobiology

T2 - Prospects for ancient dental calculus as a long-term record of the human oral microbiome

AU - Warinner, Christina

AU - Speller, Camilla

AU - Collins, Matthew J.

PY - 2015/1/19

Y1 - 2015/1/19

N2 - The field of palaeomicrobiology is dramatically expanding thanks to recent advances in high-throughput biomolecular sequencing, which allows unprecedented access to the evolutionary history and ecology of human-associated and environmental microbes. Recently, human dental calculus has been shown to be an abundant, nearly ubiquitous, and long-term reservoir of the ancient oral microbiome, preserving not only microbial and host biomolecules but also dietary and environmental debris. Modern investigations of native human microbiota have demonstrated that the human microbiome plays a central role in health and chronic disease, raising questions about changes in microbial ecology, diversity and function through time. This paper explores the current state of ancient oral microbiome research and discusses successful applications, methodological challenges and future possibilities in elucidating the intimate evolutionary relationship between humans and their microbes.

AB - The field of palaeomicrobiology is dramatically expanding thanks to recent advances in high-throughput biomolecular sequencing, which allows unprecedented access to the evolutionary history and ecology of human-associated and environmental microbes. Recently, human dental calculus has been shown to be an abundant, nearly ubiquitous, and long-term reservoir of the ancient oral microbiome, preserving not only microbial and host biomolecules but also dietary and environmental debris. Modern investigations of native human microbiota have demonstrated that the human microbiome plays a central role in health and chronic disease, raising questions about changes in microbial ecology, diversity and function through time. This paper explores the current state of ancient oral microbiome research and discusses successful applications, methodological challenges and future possibilities in elucidating the intimate evolutionary relationship between humans and their microbes.

KW - Ancient DNA

KW - Dental calculus

KW - Metagenomics

KW - Metaproteomics

KW - Oral microbiome

KW - Palaeomicrobiology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84916239475&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1098/rstb.2013.0376

DO - 10.1098/rstb.2013.0376

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 25487328

AN - SCOPUS:84916239475

SN - 0962-8436

VL - 370

JO - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

JF - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

IS - 1660

ER -