Biology subjects

Bonilla, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Bonilla, A..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Archaeogenomic and Bioinformatic Analysis of the Columbus Lineage: Evidence from the Counts of Gelves.

The geographical and familial origins of Christopher Columbus have remained a subject of intense historiographical debate for over five centuries. Despite numerous hypotheses, empirical genetic evidence capable of resolving his ancestral history or place of birth has been absent from the literature until now. This study presents the third stage of the first forensic genetic analysis performed on skeletal remains belonging to several direct descendants of Columbus, spanning the 16th to 18th centuries. By applying Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) to analyse autosomal, X- and Y- chromosome DNA markers, and integrating the results with multidisciplinary evidence from historical, genealogical, archaeological, and anthropological research implicated in this project, the identification of several individuals founded in the Crypt of Santa Maria de Gracia located in Gelves (Sevilla, Spain) has been achieved. The analysis of their biological relatedness enabled the reconstruction of kinship networks among the individuals interred in the crypt, which, when interpreted in the context of documented genealogical lineages, provides indirect but consistent evidence pointing toward the debated origin of the discoverer.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2025

'Guess Who?': Forensic genetics and archaeology converge to identify Cristopher Columbus descendants.

The generation of DNA profiles from skeletal remains is a core challenge in forensic genetics, particularly for the identification of missing persons and the resolution of cold cases. Factors such as diagenesis, DNA fragmentation, and the presence of PCR inhibitors severely compromise traditional methodologies, limiting the potential for successful identification. Similarly, in many archaeological studies, the presence of multiple individuals within a single burial site presents a significant challenge for accurate identification. This study shows how the most innovative forensic genetic techniques can be integrated into archaeological research, enabling the identification of individuals through the establishment of familial relationships between remains recovered from an archaeological site. A large-scale SNP assay, Forenseq(R) Kintelligence HT, has been applied to a familial group dating back to the 16th-17th century, allowing robust kinship calculations and lineage studies, that, in a first stage, lead to the identification of four individuals spanning four generations within the same family.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2025

Multi-kinesin clusters impart mechanical stress that reveals mechanisms of microtubule breakage in cells

Microtubules are cytoskeletal filaments that provide structural support for numerous cellular processes. Despite their high rigidity, microtubules can be dramatically bent in cells and it is unknown how much force a microtubule can withstand before breaking. We find that liquid-liquid phase separation of the kinesin-3 motor KIF1C results in multi-kinesin clusters that entangle neighboring microtubules and impose a high level of mechanical stress that results in microtubule breakage and disassembly. Combining computational simulations and experiments, we show that microtubule fragmentation is enhanced by having a highly processive kinesin motor domain, a stiff clustering mechanism, and sufficient drag force on the microtubules. We estimate a rupture force for microtubules in cells of 70-120 pN, which is lower than previous estimates based on in vitro studies with taxol-stabilized microtubules. These results indicate that the presence of multiple kinesins on a cargo has the potential to cause microtubule breakage. We propose that mechanisms exist to protect microtubule integrity by releasing either the motor-cargo or motor-microtubule interaction, thereby preventing the accumulation of mechanical stress upon the engagement of multi-motor clusters with microtubules.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2024

THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE FORENSIC GENETIC STUDY OF A MEMBER OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS' FAMILY: HIS GREAT-GREAT-GRANDSON

The present study has successfully obtained genetic information that allow the identification from direct descendants of Christopher Columbus, dating from 1526 to 1734. This represents the first achievement of this unique objective. The results obtained from the analysed samples, characterized by their significant antiquity, yield exceptional insights into forensic genetics and its newest protocols and methodologies applied to the study of ancient skeletal remains. This work presents the preliminary results of the whole family study using massive parallel sequencing, focusing on the autosomal Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) and Short Tandem Repeats (STR) markers, including their flanking region sequences, as well as ancestry informative markers (AIMS) of the great-great-grandson of the discoverer. The results of this project pave the way towards the application of new sequencing technologies for the study of genetic evolution, biogeographical origins and forensic identification of historical characters.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2019

Transcription factor NF-κB in a basal metazoan, the sponge, has conserved and unique sequences, activities, and regulation

Biological and biochemical functions of immunity transcription factor NF-{kappa}B in basal metazoans are largely unknown. Herein, we characterize transcription factor NF-{kappa}B from the demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica (Aq), in the phylum Porifera. Structurally and phylogenetically, the Aq-NF-{kappa}B protein is most similar to NF-{kappa}B p100 and p105 among vertebrate proteins, with an N-terminal DNA-binding/dimerization domain, a C-terminal Ankyrin (ANK) repeat domain, and a DNA binding-site profile more similar to human NF-{kappa}B proteins than Rel proteins. Aq-NF-{kappa}B also resembles the mammalian NF-{kappa}B protein p100 in that C-terminal truncation results in translocation of Aq-NF-{kappa}B to the nucleus and increases its transcriptional activation activity. Overexpression of a human or sea anemone I{kappa}B kinase (IKK) can induce C-terminal processing of Aq-NF-{kappa}B in vivo, and this processing requires C-terminal serine residues in Aq-NF-{kappa}B. Unlike human NF-{kappa}B p100, however, the C-terminal sequences of Aq-NF-{kappa}B do not effectively inhibit its DNA-binding activity when expressed in human cells. Tissue of another demosponge, a black encrusting sponge, contains NF-{kappa}B site DNA-binding activity and an NF-{kappa}B protein that appears mostly processed and in the nucleus of cells. NF-{kappa}B DNA-binding activity and processing is increased by treatment of sponge tissue with LPS. By transcriptomic analysis of A. queenslandica we identified likely homologs to many upstream NF-{kappa}B pathway components. These results present a functional characterization of the most ancient metazoan NF-{kappa}B protein to date, and show that many characteristics of mammalian NF-{kappa}B are conserved in sponge NF-{kappa}B, but the mechanism by which NF-{kappa}B functions and is regulated in the sponge may be somewhat different.

cell biology↗