A preliminary study of protein preservation in animal fossils from the Hualongdong site in Dongzhi County, Anhui

doi:10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2025.0069

Abstract

Abstract:

The Hualongdong(HLD) site (30°06′34″N, 116°56′54″E, 40 m above sea level) is located in Dongzhi County, Anhui Province, China. Dated to 331~275 ka, it corresponds to the critical transition period from Homo erectus to early Homo sapiens in East Asia. Morphological studies of its hominin fossils suggest that these remains may represent the earliest pre-modern humans in the region.This study adopted a strategy of evaluating the protein preservation of animal fossils to preliminarily assess the overall protein preservation in the same site, aiming to investigate the feasibility of proteomic analysis for Hualongdong hominins without damaging hominin specimens. In this study, we analyzed 49 teeth and femoral bone specimens excavated from No.1 Site, which is the same site where the ancient human fossils were discovered.Mass spectrometry analysis detected no endogenous collagen markers in any of the 40 bone samples. Among nine dentine samples, two exhibited abundant collagen-specific peptide markers. Enamel protein analysis detected endogenous peptide signals in six out of seven enamel samples. These results indicate that part of dental specimens from Hualongdong site retain sufficient endogenous proteins to support large-scale screening of hominin fossils, thereby enabling further proteomic analysis of hominin fossils from this critical site to help track east Asian human evolution.

Key words: Protein preservation, Hualongdong site, infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry

CLC Number:

Q915.86/Q51

TANG Siyuan, LIU Sitong, ZHOU Kai, RAO Huiyun, WU Xiujie, FU Qiaomei. A preliminary study of protein preservation in animal fossils from the Hualongdong site in Dongzhi County, Anhui[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2025, 44(05): 917-926.

Figures/Tables 4

References 47

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编号No.	样品Sample	Am/P	C/P	结果Result	编号No.	样品Sample	Am/P	C/P	结果Result
1	牙本质dentine	0.011	0.068	Negative	21	骨骼bone	0.011	0.177	Negative
1	牙釉质enamel	0	0.187	Positive	22	骨骼bone	0.013	0.140	Negative
2	牙本质dentine	0.016	0.175	Negative	23	骨骼bone	0.016	0.160	Negative
2	牙釉质enamel	0	0.168	Positive	24	骨骼bone	0	0.196	Negative
3	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.182	Negative	25	骨骼bone	0.011	0.188	Negative
3	牙釉质enamel	0	0.146	Positive	26	骨骼bone	0.014	0.164	Negative
4	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.136	Negative	27	骨骼bone	0	0.170	Negative
4	牙釉质enamel	0	0.213	Positive	28	骨骼bone	0	0.191	Negative
5	牙本质dentine	0.014	0.172	Negative	29	骨骼bone	0	0.179	Negative
5	牙釉质enamel	0	0.170	Positive	30	骨骼bone	0.011	0.110	Negative
6	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.132	Positive*	31	骨骼bone	0	0.224	Negative
6	牙釉质enamel	0	0.170	Positive	32	骨骼bone	0.019	0.251	Negative
7	牙本质dentine	0.011	0.221	Negative	33	骨骼bone	0.021	0.166	Negative
7	牙釉质enamel	0	0.210	Negative	34	骨骼bone	0.021	0.191	Negative
8	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.183	Bovidae/Cervidae	35	骨骼bone	0.016	0.197	Negative
8	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.183	Bovidae/Cervidae	36	骨骼bone	0.018	0.165	Negative
9	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.180	Bovidae/Cervidae	37	骨骼bone	0.018	0.126	Negative
9	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.180	Bovidae/Cervidae	38	骨骼bone	0.020	0.170	Negative
10	骨骼bone	0.019	0.212	Negative	39	骨骼bone	0.015	0.183	Negative
11	骨骼bone	0.014	0.201	Negative	40	骨骼bone	0.015	0.172	Negative
12	骨骼bone	0.018	0.141	Negative	41	骨骼bone	0.022	0.156	Negative
13	骨骼bone	0	0.171	Negative	42	骨骼bone	0.019	0.175	Negative
14	骨骼bone	0.016	0.181	Negative	43	骨骼bone	0.015	0.183	Negative
15	骨骼bone	0.014	0.157	Negative	44	骨骼bone	0.015	0.200	Negative
16	骨骼bone	0.012	0.179	Negative	45	骨骼bone	0.012	0.237	Negative
17	骨骼bone	0.019	0.172	Negative	46	骨骼bone	0.015	0.091	Negative
18	骨骼bone	0.013	0.145	Negative	47	骨骼bone	0.018	0.213	Negative
19	骨骼bone	0.011	0.098	Negative	48	骨骼bone	0.015	0.140	Negative
20	骨骼bone	0.013	0.119	Negative	49	骨骼bone	0.017	0.152	Negative

编号No.	样品Sample	Am/P	C/P	结果Result	编号No.	样品Sample	Am/P	C/P	结果Result
1	牙本质dentine	0.011	0.068	Negative	21	骨骼bone	0.011	0.177	Negative
1	牙釉质enamel	0	0.187	Positive	22	骨骼bone	0.013	0.140	Negative
2	牙本质dentine	0.016	0.175	Negative	23	骨骼bone	0.016	0.160	Negative
2	牙釉质enamel	0	0.168	Positive	24	骨骼bone	0	0.196	Negative
3	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.182	Negative	25	骨骼bone	0.011	0.188	Negative
3	牙釉质enamel	0	0.146	Positive	26	骨骼bone	0.014	0.164	Negative
4	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.136	Negative	27	骨骼bone	0	0.170	Negative
4	牙釉质enamel	0	0.213	Positive	28	骨骼bone	0	0.191	Negative
5	牙本质dentine	0.014	0.172	Negative	29	骨骼bone	0	0.179	Negative
5	牙釉质enamel	0	0.170	Positive	30	骨骼bone	0.011	0.110	Negative
6	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.132	Positive*	31	骨骼bone	0	0.224	Negative
6	牙釉质enamel	0	0.170	Positive	32	骨骼bone	0.019	0.251	Negative
7	牙本质dentine	0.011	0.221	Negative	33	骨骼bone	0.021	0.166	Negative
7	牙釉质enamel	0	0.210	Negative	34	骨骼bone	0.021	0.191	Negative
8	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.183	Bovidae/Cervidae	35	骨骼bone	0.016	0.197	Negative
8	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.183	Bovidae/Cervidae	36	骨骼bone	0.018	0.165	Negative
9	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.180	Bovidae/Cervidae	37	骨骼bone	0.018	0.126	Negative
9	牙本质dentine	0.012	0.180	Bovidae/Cervidae	38	骨骼bone	0.020	0.170	Negative
10	骨骼bone	0.019	0.212	Negative	39	骨骼bone	0.015	0.183	Negative
11	骨骼bone	0.014	0.201	Negative	40	骨骼bone	0.015	0.172	Negative
12	骨骼bone	0.018	0.141	Negative	41	骨骼bone	0.022	0.156	Negative
13	骨骼bone	0	0.171	Negative	42	骨骼bone	0.019	0.175	Negative
14	骨骼bone	0.016	0.181	Negative	43	骨骼bone	0.015	0.183	Negative
15	骨骼bone	0.014	0.157	Negative	44	骨骼bone	0.015	0.200	Negative
16	骨骼bone	0.012	0.179	Negative	45	骨骼bone	0.012	0.237	Negative
17	骨骼bone	0.019	0.172	Negative	46	骨骼bone	0.015	0.091	Negative
18	骨骼bone	0.013	0.145	Negative	47	骨骼bone	0.018	0.213	Negative
19	骨骼bone	0.011	0.098	Negative	48	骨骼bone	0.015	0.140	Negative
20	骨骼bone	0.013	0.119	Negative	49	骨骼bone	0.017	0.152	Negative