Dataset Information

Enamel peptides reveal the sex of the Late Antique 'Lovers of Modena'.

ABSTRACT: Recent work has disclosed the critical role played by enamel peptides in sex classification of old skeletal remains. In particular, protein AMELY (amelogenin isoform Y) is present in the enamel dental tissue of male individuals only, while AMELX (isoform X) can be found in both sexes. AMELY can be easily detected by LC-MS/MS in the ion extracted chromatograms of the SM_(ox)IRPPY peptide (monoisotopic [M?+?2?H]⁺² mass?=?440.2233?m/z). In this paper, we exploited the dimorphic features of the amelogenin protein to determine the sex of the so-called 'Lovers of Modena', two Late Antique individuals whose skeletons were intentionally buried hand-in-hand. Upon discovery, mass media had immediately assumed they were a male-female couple, even if bad preservation of the bones did not allow an effective sex classification. We were able to extract proteins from the dental enamel of both individuals (~1600 years old) and to confidently classify them as males. Results were compared to 14 modern and archaeological control samples, confirming the reliability of the ion chromatogram method for sex determination. Although we currently have no information on the actual relationship between the 'Lovers of Modena' (affective? Kin-based?), the discovery of two adult males intentionally buried hand-in-hand may have profound implications for our understanding of funerary practices in Late Antique Italy.

SUBMITTER: Lugli F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6739468 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Enamel peptides reveal the sex of the Late Antique 'Lovers of Modena'.

Lugli Federico F Di Rocco Giulia G Vazzana Antonino A Genovese Filippo F Pinetti Diego D Cilli Elisabetta E Carile Maria Cristina MC Silvestrini Sara S Gabanini Gaia G Arrighi Simona S Buti Laura L Bortolini Eugenio E Cipriani Anna A Figus Carla C Marciani Giulia G Oxilia Gregorio G Romandini Matteo M Sorrentino Rita R Sola Marco M Benazzi Stefano S

Scientific reports 20190911 1

Recent work has disclosed the critical role played by enamel peptides in sex classification of old skeletal remains. In particular, protein AMELY (amelogenin isoform Y) is present in the enamel dental tissue of male individuals only, while AMELX (isoform X) can be found in both sexes. AMELY can be easily detected by LC-MS/MS in the ion extracted chromatograms of the SM<sub>(ox)</sub>IRPPY peptide (monoisotopic [M + 2 H]<sup>+2</sup> mass = 440.2233 m/z). In this paper, we exploited the dimorphic ...[more]

PMID: 31511583

Similar Datasets

Project description:This work explores the use of multispectral imaging (MSI) techniques applied to the investigation of Late Antique (c. 250-800 AD) textiles found in Egypt. Although the use of these techniques is well-established in the study of polychrome surfaces, they have only been sparingly and often unsystematically applied to the investigation of textiles. The aim of this work is therefore to bridge this gap by showing how this non-invasive, relatively inexpensive and portable methodology can be used to map the photoluminescence and reflective characteristics of textiles under different wavelengths of light, and to provide qualitative and holistic insights into the chemical nature of the materials that compose them. Standardised acquisition and post-processing methods were applied to produce visible-reflected (VIS), ultraviolet-induced visible luminescence (UVL), infrared-reflected (IRR), infrared-reflected false colour (IRRFC), ultraviolet-reflected (UVR) and ultraviolet-reflected false colour (UVRFC) images that provided preliminary indications of the colourants used and their spatial distribution. This proved to be an important aid in planning more targeted and effective sampling strategies and facilitated comparisons between objects. Visible-induced visible luminescence (VIVL) and multiband-reflected (MBR) imaging were also explored for the first time with application to textiles, demonstrating their potential in mapping red and blue colourants respectively. The physical properties observed from all of these images were then related to the more detailed information provided by complementary non-invasive techniques, such as fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), and micro-invasive approaches, such as high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Guidelines towards the interpretation of complex MSI images and a discussion of the potential and limitations of relating multispectral data to chemical properties are presented. An important result of this work is the delineation of a protocol, which combines optical microscopy (OM), MSI, FORS and HPLC-MS and shows a high degree of potential, not only for the investigation of Late Antique textiles but for textiles in museum and historic collections generally.

Dataset Information

Enamel peptides reveal the sex of the Late Antique 'Lovers of Modena'.

Publications

Enamel peptides reveal the sex of the Late Antique 'Lovers of Modena'.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets