Protein sequences bound to mineral surfaces persist into deep time

Beatrice Demarchi; Shaun Hall; Teresa Roncal-Herrero; Colin Freeman; Jos Woolley; Molly Katherine Crisp; Julie Carol Wilson; Anna Fotakis; Roman Fischer; Benedikt Kessler; Rosa Rakownikow Jersie-Christensen; Jesper Olsen; James Haile; Jessica Thomas; Curtis Marean; John Parkington; Samantha Louise Presslee; Julia Lee-Thorp; Peter Ditchfield; Jacqueline Fiona Hamilton; Martyn William Ward; Chunting Michelle Wang; Marvin David Shaw; Terry Harrison; Manuel Dominguez-Rodrigo; Ross MacPhee; Amandus Kwekason; Michaela Ecker; Liora Kolska Horwitz; Michael Chazan; Roland Kröger; Jane Elizabeth Thomas-Oates; John Harding; Enrico Cappellini; Kirsty Elizabeth Helena Penkman; Matthew James Collins

doi:10.7554/eLife.17092

Protein sequences bound to mineral surfaces persist into deep time

Beatrice Demarchi, Shaun Hall, Teresa Roncal-Herrero, Colin Freeman, Jos Woolley, Molly Katherine Crisp, Julie Carol Wilson, Anna Fotakis, Roman Fischer, Benedikt Kessler, Rosa Rakownikow Jersie-Christensen, Jesper Olsen, James Haile, Jessica Thomas, Curtis Marean, John Parkington, Samantha Louise Presslee, Julia Lee-Thorp, Peter Ditchfield, Jacqueline Fiona HamiltonMartyn William Ward, Chunting Michelle Wang, Marvin David Shaw, Terry Harrison, Manuel Dominguez-Rodrigo, Ross MacPhee, Amandus Kwekason, Michaela Ecker, Liora Kolska Horwitz, Michael Chazan, Roland Kröger, Jane Elizabeth Thomas-Oates, John Harding, Enrico Cappellini, Kirsty Elizabeth Helena Penkman, Matthew James Collins

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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 the palaeontological 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 ~16 Ma at a constant 10 ̊C).

Original language	English
Article number	e17092
Pages (from-to)	1-50
Number of pages	50
Journal	eLife
Volume	5
Issue number	September
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17092
Publication status	Published - 27 Sept 2016

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10.7554/eLife.17092

e17092-downloadFinal published version, 2.56 MBLicence: CC BY

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Demarchi, B., Hall, S., Roncal-Herrero, T., Freeman, C., Woolley, J., Crisp, M. K., Wilson, J. C., Fotakis, A., Fischer, R., Kessler, B., Rakownikow Jersie-Christensen, R., Olsen, J., Haile, J., Thomas, J., Marean, C., Parkington, J., Presslee, S. L., Lee-Thorp, J., Ditchfield, P., ... Collins, M. J. (2016). Protein sequences bound to mineral surfaces persist into deep time. eLife, 5(September), 1-50. Article e17092. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17092

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title = "Protein sequences bound to mineral surfaces persist into deep time",

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 the palaeontological 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 ~16 Ma at a constant 10 ̊C).",

author = "Beatrice Demarchi and Shaun Hall and Teresa Roncal-Herrero and Colin Freeman and Jos Woolley and Crisp, {Molly Katherine} and Wilson, {Julie Carol} and Anna Fotakis and Roman Fischer and Benedikt Kessler and {Rakownikow Jersie-Christensen}, Rosa and Jesper Olsen and James Haile and Jessica Thomas and Curtis Marean and John Parkington and Presslee, {Samantha Louise} and Julia Lee-Thorp and Peter Ditchfield and Hamilton, {Jacqueline Fiona} and Ward, {Martyn William} and Wang, {Chunting Michelle} and Shaw, {Marvin David} and Terry Harrison and Manuel Dominguez-Rodrigo and Ross MacPhee and Amandus Kwekason and Michaela Ecker and {Kolska Horwitz}, Liora and Michael Chazan and Roland Kr{\"o}ger and Thomas-Oates, {Jane Elizabeth} and John Harding and Enrico Cappellini and Penkman, {Kirsty Elizabeth Helena} and Collins, {Matthew James}",

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Demarchi, B, Hall, S, Roncal-Herrero, T, Freeman, C, Woolley, J, Crisp, MK, Wilson, JC, Fotakis, A, Fischer, R, Kessler, B, Rakownikow Jersie-Christensen, R, Olsen, J, Haile, J, Thomas, J, Marean, C, Parkington, J, Presslee, SL, Lee-Thorp, J, Ditchfield, P, Hamilton, JF , Ward, MW , Wang, CM , Shaw, MD, Harrison, T, Dominguez-Rodrigo, M, MacPhee, R, Kwekason, A, Ecker, M, Kolska Horwitz, L, Chazan, M, Kröger, R , Thomas-Oates, JE, Harding, J, Cappellini, E, Penkman, KEH & Collins, MJ 2016, 'Protein sequences bound to mineral surfaces persist into deep time', eLife, vol. 5, no. September, e17092, pp. 1-50. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17092

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AU - Demarchi, Beatrice

AU - Hall, Shaun

AU - Roncal-Herrero, Teresa

AU - Freeman, Colin

AU - Woolley, Jos

AU - Crisp, Molly Katherine

AU - Wilson, Julie Carol

AU - Fotakis, Anna

AU - Fischer, Roman

AU - Kessler, Benedikt

AU - Rakownikow Jersie-Christensen, Rosa

AU - Olsen, Jesper

AU - Haile, James

AU - Thomas, Jessica

AU - Marean, Curtis

AU - Parkington, John

AU - Presslee, Samantha Louise

AU - Lee-Thorp, Julia

AU - Ditchfield, Peter

AU - Hamilton, Jacqueline Fiona

AU - Ward, Martyn William

AU - Wang, Chunting Michelle

AU - Shaw, Marvin David

AU - Harrison, Terry

AU - Dominguez-Rodrigo, Manuel

AU - MacPhee, Ross

AU - Kwekason, Amandus

AU - Ecker, Michaela

AU - Kolska Horwitz, Liora

AU - Chazan, Michael

AU - Kröger, Roland

AU - Thomas-Oates, Jane Elizabeth

AU - Harding, John

AU - Cappellini, Enrico

AU - Penkman, Kirsty Elizabeth Helena

AU - Collins, Matthew James

PY - 2016/9/27

Y1 - 2016/9/27

N2 - 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 the palaeontological 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 ~16 Ma at a constant 10 ̊C).

AB - 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 the palaeontological 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 ~16 Ma at a constant 10 ̊C).

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U2 - 10.7554/eLife.17092

DO - 10.7554/eLife.17092

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SN - 2050-084X

VL - 5

SP - 1

EP - 50

JO - eLife

JF - eLife

IS - September

M1 - e17092

ER -

Protein sequences bound to mineral surfaces persist into deep time

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Matthew James Collins, FBA

Jacqui Hamilton

Roland Kroger, FRMS

MIB - Materials in Biology: Hard-Soft Matter Interfaces: From Understanding to Engineering

Building a Better Egg Timer

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Protein sequences bound to mineral surfaces persist into deep time

Abstract

Access to Document

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Profiles

Matthew James Collins, FBA

Jacqui Hamilton

Roland Kroger, FRMS

Projects

MIB - Materials in Biology: Hard-Soft Matter Interfaces: From Understanding to Engineering

Building a Better Egg Timer

Cite this