The oldest protein ever sequenced

2009/05/07 Kortabitarte Egiguren, Irati - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Biokimika
• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

A team of American researchers has succeeded in sequencing the oldest protein that has been sequenced: the collagen of the connective tissue of a hadrosauro that lived 80 million years ago. They have sequenced eight parts of this protein.

To do this they have used a sample of femur of a hadrosauro of the species Brachylophosaurus canadensis. This sample of femur, integrated in sandstone, has been transferred to the laboratory to prevent contamination from affecting results.

The laboratory has used the scanning electron microscope to study the shape and structure of tissue, and the technique of mass spectroscopy to identify tissue proteins. Thus, it has been proven that this hadrosaur fossil contains collagen, which contains amino acids similar to the collagen of birds. This result reinforces the close relationship between the evolution of dinosaurs and birds. The finding has been announced in the journal Science.

Image courtesy of: Mary H. Schweitzer