Ancient DNA: From Genomes to Epigenomes

The advent of next-generation sequencing technologies has unlocked access to the complete genome sequence of ancient individuals and extinct species. The sequence information present in ancient genomes has proved invaluable for tracking the mysterious origins of ancient populations and for reconstructing our relationships with our closest evolutionary relatives, the Neandertals and Denisovans. Recent work from our group revealed that the sequence data underlying ancient genomes can also be exploited to reconstruct whole genome nucleosome maps and methylation maps. This paves the way for evaluating the importance of epigenetic reprogramming during evolutionary times, speciation and population adaptation but also following major environmental and cultural crises. We will present current and future approaches for deciphering ancient epigenomes as well as potential applications of this nascent field of research.