Keywords
Ancient herd management practices; DNA-based sexing; Amelogenin (AMEL) Gene; Sex-Determining Region Y (SRY) Gene; Ancient DNA; PCR Amplification
Abstract
The domestication of animals by ancient societies played a key role in the development of sedentary human lifestyles. Determining the herd management practices of these ancient societies provides insight into their lifestyles. Aging animals based on their skeletal remains allows for an understanding of herd management to a certain extent. Further verification can be achieved through DNA-based sexing. Whether the herd was primarily male or female contributes to the type of management and goals of the farmers. The Amelogenin gene is a reliable genetic marker for DNA-based sex determination of various species. Amelogenin, found in the enamel of toothed mammals, allows for sexing of ancient tooth samples based on the characteristics of the Amelogenin gene (AMEL) and the Sex-Determining Region Y (SRY). Using polymerase chain reactions (PCR) to amplify and identify the Amelogenin and Sex-Determining Region Y genes in sheep, goat, and cattle samples allows for sex determination of the ancient samples. The primers were designed with the intention of future nested PCR development, a technique used to improve the sensitivity of amplification due to the ancient samples containing highly degraded and low-abundance DNA. Inner and outer primer sets were developed that work to accurately sex sheep, goats, and cattle alongside the SRY primers. These primers have been tested against human DNA, as well as several other species, and have no cross-reactions. This methodology leads to a better understanding of herd management practices and contributes to a broader understanding of how animal domestication practices influenced the development of sedentary human societies.
Thesis Completion Year
2026
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Hanson, Erin
College
College of Sciences
Department
Biology
Thesis Discipline
Forensic Science
Language
English
Access Status
Campus Access
Length of Campus Access
3 years
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Brunner, Jayna, "Development of DNA-Based Sexing Assays for Use with Archaeological Animal Remains from Neolithic Farming Communities on the Croatian Dalmatian Coast" (2026). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 539.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/539
Restricted to the UCF community until 5-15-2029; it will then be open access.
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