Protein sequences bound to mineral surfaces persist into deep time
Type | Article |
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Date | 2016-09 |
Language | English |
Author(s) | Demarchi Beatrice1, Hall Shaun2, Roncal-Herrero Teresa3, Freeman Colin L.2, Woolley Jos1, Crisp Molly K.4, Wilson Julie4, 5, Fotakis Anna6, Fischer Roman7, Kessler Benedikt M.7, Jersie-Christensens Rosa Rakownikow8, Olsen Jesper V.8, Haile James9, Thomas Jessica6, 10, Marean Curtis W.11, 12, Parkington John13, Presslee Samantha1, Lee-Thorp Julia9, Ditchfield Peter9, Hamilton Jacqueline F.14, Ward Martyn W.14, Wang Chunting Michelle14, Shaw Marvin D.14, Harrison Terry15, Dominguez-Rodrigo Manuel16, Macphee Ross De17, Kwekason Amandus18, Ecker Michaels9, Horwitz Liora Kolska19, Chazan Michael20, 21, Kröger Roland3, Thomas-Oates Jane4, 22, Harding John H.2, Cappellini Enrico6, Penkman Kirsty4, Collins Matthew J.1 |
Affiliation(s) | 1 : Univ York, Dept Archaeol, BioArCh, York, N Yorkshire, England. 2 : Univ Sheffield, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, Sheffield, S Yorkshire, England. 3 : Univ York, Dept Phys, York, N Yorkshire, England. 4 : Univ York, Dept Chem, York, N Yorkshire, England. 5 : Univ York, Dept Math, York, N Yorkshire, England. 6 : Univ Copenhagen, Nat Hist Museum Denmark, Ctr GeoGenet, Copenhagen, Denmark. 7 : Univ Oxford, Nuffield Dept Med, Target Discovery Inst, Adv Prote Facil, Oxford, England. 8 : Univ Copenhagen, Fac Hlth Sci, Novo Nordisk Fdn Ctr Prot Res, Copenhagen, Denmark. 9 : Univ Oxford, Res Lab Archaeol & Hist Art, Oxford, England. 10 : Bangor Univ, Sch Biol Sci, Mol Ecol & Fisheries Genet Lab, Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. 11 : Arizona State Univ, SHESC, Inst Human Origins, Tempe, AZ USA. 12 : Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Univ, Ctr Coastal Palaeosci, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. 13 : Univ Cape Town, Dept Archaeol, Cape Town, South Africa. 14 : Univ York, Dept Chem, Wolfson Atmospher Chem Labs, York, N Yorkshire, England. 15 : NYU, Dept Anthropol, Ctr Study Human Origins, New York, NY 10003 USA. 16 : Univ Complutense Madrid, Dept Prehist, Madrid, Spain. 17 : Amer Museum Nat Hist, Dept Mammal, New York, NY 10024 USA. 18 : Natl Museum Tanzania, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. 19 : Hebrew Univ Jerusalem, Natl Nat Hist Collect, Fac Life Sci, Jerusalem, Israel. 20 : Univ Toronto, Dept Anthropol, Toronto, ON, Canada. 21 : Univ Witwatersrand, Evolutionary Studies Inst, Braamfontein, South Africa. 22 : Univ York, Ctr Excellence Mass Spectrometry, New York, NY USA. |
Source | Elife (2050-084X) (Elife Sciences Publications Ltd), 2016-09 , Vol. 5 , N. e17092 , P. 1-50 |
DOI | 10.7554/eLife.17092 |
WOS© Times Cited | 153 |
Abstract | Proteins persist longer in the fossil record than DNA, but the longevity, survival mechanisms and substrates remain contested. Here, we demonstrate the role of mineral binding in preserving the protein sequence in ostrich (Struthionidae) eggshell, including from thepalaeontological sites of Laetoli (3.8 Ma) and Olduvai Gorge (1.3 Ma) in Tanzania. By tracking protein diagenesis back in time we find consistent patterns of preservation, demonstrating authenticity of the surviving sequences. Molecular dynamics simulations of struthiocalcin-1 and -2, the dominant proteins within the eggshell, reveal that distinct domains bind to the mineral surface. It is the domain with the strongest calculated binding energy to the calcite surface that is selectively preserved. Thermal age calculations demonstrate that the Laetoli and Olduvai peptides are 50 times older than any previously authenticated sequence (equivalent to similar to 16 Ma at a constant 10 degrees C). |
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