Studies of molecular genetics on the basis of protein and nucleic acid preserved in fossil materials.

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Condition of preservation of biomolecules such as protein and nucleic acid were examined, and potential of estimating phylongenetic relationship of fossil organisms by nsing these biomolecules was evaluated. Intracrystalline protein was extraced from four modern species (Patinopecten yessoensis, Umbonium giganteum, Sunetta menstrualis and Crassostrea gigas) and one fossil species (Patenipecten tokyoensis) of mollusca. Patenipecten tokyoensis were occurred from Pliocene deposits of Kakegawa fromation. Twenty-one species of protein were detected by electrophoretic analysis with SDS-PAGE.Protein molecules obtained from Patenipecten yessosensis and Patenipecten tokyoensis were restricted at the position of methionine. Restriction patterns of these molecules are coincident between modern species Patenipecten yessoensis and fossil species Patenipecten tokyoensis. Since these species are considered to be closely related, overall similarity of restriction patterns of protein between these spec … More ies suggest that protein have been preserved in the fossil materials.Phylogenetic relationship among the molluscan species estimated on the basis of the variations in the species of protein possessed by these molluscan species well corresponded to the phylogenetic relationships on the basis of nuclear DNA sequence (lrRNA). This suggests that the preserved protein in the fossils are useful to assess phylogenetic relationships. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA were extracted from fossil insects (Donaciinae, Carabidae, Hydrophilinae) correceted from the Pleistocene and Holocene peat. These DNAs were amplified via PCR,and 300bp of nuclear 18SrRNA and mitochondrial 16SrRNA were sequenced. Sequences of the fossil species of Hydrophilinae were the closest to those of living species of Hydrophilinae among sequences obtained from Genbank. This suggests that DNAs of fossil Hydrophilinae species are amplified successfully and sequenced. This also suggests that DNA was preserved in the fossil insects occurred from peat. Less