Preservation of whole antibodies within ancient teeth

Shaw, Barry, Mcdonnell, Thomas, Radley, Elizabeth, Thomas, Brian ORCID: 0000-0002-4806-333X, Smith, Lynn, Davenport, Carol AL, Gonzalez, Silvia, Rahman, Anisur and Layfield, Rob (2023) Preservation of whole antibodies within ancient teeth. ISCIENCE, 26 (9). 107575-.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.107575

Abstract

Archaeological remains can preserve some proteins into deep time, offering remarkable opportunities for probing past events in human history. Recovering functional proteins from skeletal tissues could uncover a molecular memory related to the life-history of the associated remains. We demonstrate affinity purification of whole antibody molecules from medieval human teeth, dating to the 13<sup>th</sup>-15<sup>th</sup> centuries, from skeletons with different putative pathologies. Purified antibodies are intact retaining disulphide-linkages, are amenable to primary sequences analysis, and demonstrate apparent immunoreactivity against contemporary EBV antigen on western blot. Our observations highlight the potential of ancient antibodies to provide insights into the long-term association between host immune factors and ancient microbes, and more broadly retain a molecular memory related to the natural history of human health and immunity.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Biological sciences, Paleobiochemistry, Paleobiology
Divisions:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Computer Science
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	04 Dec 2023 08:23
Last Modified:	04 Dec 2023 08:23
DOI:	10.1016/j.isci.2023.107575
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3177141