Ancient DNA has been at the forefront of biomolecular archaeology for the past 30 years. Recent technological advances have allowed us to sequence with more breadth and depth than thought possible only a few years ago. The EpiCDomestic project takes advantage of the latest technology and developments to sequence genomes and epigenomes of ancient canids.

Epigenomics, literally meaning 'above genomics', refers to chemical modifications made to DNA that affect it's expression into genes. In this project, we have been focussing particularly on the 'DNA methylation' aspect of epigenomics. Methylation is the addition of a methyl group to a particular base (nucleotide) of DNA, usually cytosine. This methyl group often acts as a blocker, preventing cellular machinery from accessing heavily methylated parts of the genome and thus preventing those genes from being expressed. We have hypothesised that methylation, which can occur spontaneously in response to environmental stresses, might actually a driver of the domestication process.

RNA is the 'intermediary' between DNA and proteins, according to the central dogma of molecular biology. It is also used as part of the cellular machinery in the form of ribosomes and transfer RNA.

In general, RNA does not survive as well as DNA because it is chemically more unstable, and more prone to degradative enzymes. However, recent research into archaeological plants shows that ancient RNA can, under the right conditions, survive for several hundreds of years. We wanted to test whether or not RNA could survive longer in a deep-freeze setting (i.e. permafrost), and if so, could it be used to help our understanding of epigenomics?