Proteomic profiling of archaeological human bone

• Main Authors: Rikai Sawafuji, Enrico Cappellini, Tomohito Nagaoka, Anna K. Fotakis, Rosa Rakownikow Jersie-Christensen, Jesper V. Olsen, Kazuaki Hirata, Shintaroh Ueda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 2017-01-01
• Series: Royal Society Open Science
• Subjects: proteomics; immune system; age-related changes; archaeological bone; mass spectrometry
• Online Access: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.161004

Ancient protein analysis provides clues to human life and diseases from ancient times. Here, we performed shotgun proteomics of human archeological bones for the first time, using rib bones from the Hitotsubashi site (AD 1657–1683) in Tokyo, called Edo in ancient times. The output data obtained were analysed using Gene Ontology and label-free quantification. We detected leucocyte-derived proteins, possibly originating from the bone marrow of the rib. Particularly prevalent and relatively high expression of eosinophil peroxidase suggests the influence of infectious diseases. This scenario is plausible, considering the overcrowding and unhygienic living conditions of the Edo city described in the historical literature. We also observed age-dependent differences in proteome profiles, particularly for proteins involved in developmental processes. Among them, alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein demonstrated a strong negative correlation with age. These results suggest that analysis of ancient proteins could provide a useful indicator of stress, disease, starvation, obesity and other kinds of physiological and pathological information.