Novensia: Studia i Materiały (14.2003)

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entire mtDNA comes from our mothers, not our fathers. Consequently, when
tracing the passing down of a specific type of mtDNA, we are dealing with in-
heritance in the maternal linę, not the patemal one. This is sometimes a strength
and occasionally a weakness.
Another strenght of mitochondrial DNA analysis is that research has been
ongoing for many years and the collected data provides sufficient grounds for
studying the microevolution of man, including relations between ethnic groups.
In special cases the identification of ultra-rare HVR seąuences substantiates at-
tribution of the remains to a specific family and this can be an important identi-
fying element.
Teeth are the best source of mtDNA, especially if they are undamaged, be-
cause teeth preserve the most organie materiał useful in the analysis. A typical
DNA examination includes:
- removing contamination and enzyme inhibitors, using an uniąue method
for extraction of organie compounds, developed at ZGUW;
- fragmentation of the materiał and extraction of DNA;
- cleaning the DNA;
- amplification of tested area using the PCR method;
- determining nucleotide seąuence for the tested area; and
- Computer analysis of results.
Original sets of oligonucleotide starters, developed at ZGUW, are applied in
the research.

Results
Seąuences of the hyper-changeable human mtDNA area were obtained for
two individuals, whose skeletons had been discovered during excavations at Novae
in Bułgaria. In both cases the seąuences correspond to seąuences characteristic
of the haplotype H, which is the most commonly occurring haplotype in Europę.
Even so, while the obtained seąuence is in the case of individual no. 8 (fig. 2)
fully in agreement with the canonical one, in the case of individual no. 3 the
transition G to A (fig. 1) as compared to the canonical Anterson seąuence has
been noted. This polymorphism is known from other types of HVR1. The
“A-l6213” variant has been described for a Swiss population, as well as Ger-
man and North Bałkan [Dimo-Simoni et al. 2000; Lutz et al. 1998]. It may be
assumed that it was characteristic of Central Europę. There is no data available
to document the presence of this polymorphism outside the above-mentioned
region of Europę. Conseąuently, it is highly likely that individual no. 3 originat-
ed from Central Europę. In the case of individual no. 8, similar conclusions can-
not be drawn, because the nucleotide seąuence determined for the mtDNA HVR1
area is typical of Europeans in generał.