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Preservation of whole antibodies within ancient teeth

Shaw, Barry; McDonnell, Thomas; Radley, Elizabeth; Thomas, Brian; Smith, Lynn; Davenport, Carol A L; Gonzalez, Silvia; Rahman, Anisur; Layfield, Rob

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Authors

Barry Shaw

Thomas McDonnell

Elizabeth Radley

Brian Thomas

Lynn Smith

Carol A L Davenport

Silvia Gonzalez

Anisur Rahman

ROBERT LAYFIELD ROBERT.LAYFIELD@NOTTINGHAM.AC.UK
Professor of Protein Biochemistry



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 13th – 15th 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.

Citation

Shaw, B., McDonnell, T., Radley, E., Thomas, B., Smith, L., Davenport, C. A. L., …Layfield, R. (2023). Preservation of whole antibodies within ancient teeth. iScience, 26(9), Article 107575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.107575

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 4, 2023
Online Publication Date Aug 9, 2023
Publication Date Sep 15, 2023
Deposit Date Aug 16, 2023
Publicly Available Date Aug 18, 2023
Journal iScience
Electronic ISSN 2589-0042
Publisher Cell Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 26
Issue 9
Article Number 107575
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.107575
Keywords Biological sciences; Paleobiology; Paleobiochemistry
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/24148840
Publisher URL https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004223016528

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