Biology subjects

Lavin, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Lavin, M..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Early transatlantic movement of horses and donkeys at Jamestown

Domestic horses and donkeys played a key role in the initial colonization of the Atlantic seaboard of the Americas, a process partially chronicled by historical records. While Spanish colonists brought horses to the Caribbean and southern latitudes earlier, the transport of domestic horses to the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia in 1606 was among the first dispersals to the eastern seaboard. Archaeozoological analysis, isotope analysis, and radiocarbon dating of identifiable domestic equid remains from two contexts associated with the initial occupation of Jamestown demonstrate intense processing and consumption of the first Jamestown horses during the "Starving Time" winter of 1609, while paleopathological data show evidence of their use in transport. Osteological, genetic, and isotopic study of these equid remains reveal the presence of at least one adult domestic donkey with mixed European and West African ancestry, possibly supplied through undocumented exchange during a trans-Atlantic stopover. These results reveal the importance of equids in the survival of early European settlers and the global connectivity of early trans-Atlantic exchange in horses and donkeys, showing Caribbean and African links in the founding livestock populations and pointing towards an important and ecologically-anchored role for donkeys in the early colonial lifeways along the Eastern seaboard.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2021

Integrated Genome and Transcriptome Analyses Reveal the Mechanism of Genome Instability in Ataxia with Oculomotor Apraxia 2

Mutations in the SETX gene, which encodes Senataxin, are associated with the progressive neurodegenerative diseases Ataxia with Oculomotor Apraxia 2 (AOA2) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 4 (ALS4). To identify the causal defect in AOA2, patient-derived cells and SETX knockouts (human and mouse) were analyzed using integrated genomic and transcriptomic approaches. We observed a genome-wide increase in chromosome instability (gains and losses) within genes and at chromosome fragile sites, resulting in changes to gene expression profiles. Senataxin loss caused increased transcription stress near promoters that correlated with high GCskew and R-loop accumulation at promoter-proximal regions. Notably, the chromosomal regions with gains and losses overlapped with regions of elevated transcription stress. In the absence of Senataxin, we found that Cockayne Syndrome protein CSB was required for the recruitment of the transcription-coupled repair endonucleases (XPG and XPF) and recombination protein RAD52 to target and resolve transcription bubbles containing R-loops, leading to error prone repair and genomic instability. These results show that transcription stress is an important contributor to SETX mutation-associated chromosome fragility and AOA2.

molecular biology↗