Root and root canal diversity in human permanent maxillary first premolars and upper/lower first molars from a 14th-17th and 18th-19th century Radom population.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess whether analyzed groups from two historical periods: Late Medieval (LMP), and Modern (MP) from Radom varied in the number of tooth roots and root canal system morphology. METHODS: Root morphology of 229 permanent human teeth were analyzed using Cone Beam Computed Tomography. Additionally, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 29 individuals from the LMP and 31 from the MP was analyzed. RESULTS: In LMP, the maxillary first premolars were dominated by one root, while in MP second and third roots also appeared. Maxillary first molars in LMP presented three roots, while two-rooted forms occurred in MP. All mandibular first molars from the LMP and almost all (98%) from MP presented two roots. The greatest diversity in terms of root canal number occurred in one-rooted maxillary first premolars, the mesiobuccal root of the maxillary first molars, and the mesial and distal roots of the mandibular first molars in both groups. A few haplogroups from outside Europe (C, N, and R) were recorded in the MP Radom population. Moreover, this population had substantially higher haplogroup diversity compared with the LMP population. CONCLUSION: Odontological research indicates an increase in the diversity in the number of roots and the shape of root canals in MP. This information corresponds to genetic research, which also indicates an increase in the diversity of haplogroups during the MP.

Analysis of medieval mtDNA from Napole cemetery provides new insights into the early history of Polish state.

Contemporary historical anthropology and classical archaeology are concerned not only with such fundamental issues as the origins of ancient human populations and migration routes, but also with the formation and development of inter-population relations and the mixing of gene pools as a result of inter-breeding between individuals representing different cultural units. The contribution of immigrants to the analysed autochthonous population and their effect on the gene pool of that population has proven difficult to evaluate with classical morphological methods. The burial of one individual in the studied Napole cemetery located in central Poland had the form of a chamber grave, which is typical of Scandinavian culture from that period. However, this fact cannot be interpreted as absolute proof that the individual (in the biological sense) was allochtonous. This gives rise to the question as to who was actually buried in that cemetery. The ancient DNA results indicate that one of the individuals had an mtDNA haplotype typical of Iron Age northern Europe, which suggests that he could have arrived from that area at a later period. This seems to indirectly confirm the claims of many anthropologists that the development of the early medieval Polish state was significantly and directly influenced by the Scandinavians.

Hunting for the LCT-13910*T allele between the Middle Neolithic and the Middle Ages suggests its absence in dairying LBK people entering the Kuyavia region in the 8th millennium BP.

Populations from two medieval sites in Central Poland, Stary Brzesc Kujawski-4 (SBK-4) and Gruczno, represented high level of lactase persistence (LP) as followed by the LCT-13910*T allele's presence (0.86 and 0.82, respectively). It was twice as high as in contemporaneous Cedynia (0.4) and Sródka (0.43), both located outside the region, higher than in modern inhabitants of Poland (0.51) and almost as high as in modern Swedish population (0.9). In an attempt to explain the observed differences its frequency changes in time were followed between the Middle Neolithic and the Late Middle Ages in successive dairying populations on a relatively small area (radius ∼60km) containing the two sites. The introduction of the T allele to Kuyavia 7.4 Ka BP by dairying LBK people is not likely, as suggested by the obtained data. It has not been found in any of Neolithic samples dated between 6.3 and 4.5 Ka BP. The identified frequency profile indicates that both the introduction and the beginning of selection could have taken place approx. 4 millennia after first LBK people arrived in the region, shifting the value of LP frequency from 0 to more than 0.8 during less than 130 generations. We hypothesize that the selection process of the T allele was rather rapid, starting just after its introduction into already milking populations and operated via high rates of fertility and mortality on children after weaning through life-threatening conditions, favoring lactose-tolerant individuals. Facing the lack of the T allele in people living on two great European Neolithization routes, the Danubian and Mediterranean ones, and based on its high frequency in northern Iberia, its presence in Scandinavia and estimated occurrence in Central Poland, we propose an alternative Northern Route of its spreading as very likely. None of the successfully identified nuclear alleles turned out to be deltaF508 CFTR.

Molecular basis of taste sense: involvement of GPCR receptors.

Taste perception is one of the senses crucial for many organisms. There are five basic tastes, i.e., sweet, bitter, salty, sour, and umami, and it is suggested that the taste of fat should be included in this list. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge about the involvement of G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in taste sensing and intracellular signaling. GPCR receptors are focal point of interest for pharmaceutical industry. However, their ability to interact with a variety of taste substances makes these receptors interesting target for food and nutrient companies.