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Taphonomic experiments resolve controls on the preservation of melanosomes and keratinous tissues in feathers.

ABSTRACT: Fossils are a key source of data on the evolution of feather structure and function through deep time, but their ability to resolve macroevolutionary questions is compromised by an incomplete understanding of their taphonomy. Critically, the relative preservation potential of two key feather components, melanosomes and keratinous tissue, is not fully resolved. Recent studies suggesting that melanosomes are preferentially preserved conflict with observations that melanosomes preserve in fossil feathers as external moulds in an organic matrix. To date, there is no model to explain the latter mode of melanosome preservation. We addressed these issues by degrading feathers in systematic taphonomic experiments incorporating decay, maturation and oxidation in isolation and combination. Our results reveal that the production of mouldic melanosomes requires interactions with an oxidant and is most likely to occur prior to substantial maturation. This constrains the taphonomic conditions under which melanosomes are likely to be fossilized. Critically, our experiments also confirm that keratinous feather structures have a higher preservation potential than melanosomes under a range of diagenetic conditions, supporting hitherto controversial hypotheses that fossil feathers can retain degraded keratinous structures.

SUBMITTER: Slater TS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6988486 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Taphonomic experiments resolve controls on the preservation of melanosomes and keratinous tissues in feathers.

Slater Tiffany S TS McNamara Maria E ME Orr Patrick J PJ Foley Tara B TB Ito Shosuke S Wakamatsu Kazumasa K

Palaeontology 20190919 1

Fossils are a key source of data on the evolution of feather structure and function through deep time, but their ability to resolve macroevolutionary questions is compromised by an incomplete understanding of their taphonomy. Critically, the relative preservation potential of two key feather components, melanosomes and keratinous tissue, is not fully resolved. Recent studies suggesting that melanosomes are preferentially preserved conflict with observations that melanosomes preserve in fossil fe ...[more]

PMID: 32025055

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Project description:BackgroundEven with recent scientific advancements, challenges posed by limited resources and capabilities at the time of sample dissection continue to limit the collection of high quality tissues from experiments that can be conducted only infrequently and at high cost, such as in space. The resources and time it takes to harvest tissues post-euthanasia, and the methods and duration of long duration storage, potentially have negative impacts on sample quantity and quality, thereby limiting the scientific outcome that can be achieved.ObjectivesThe goals of this study were to optimize methods for both sample recovery and science return from rodent experiments, with possible relevance to both ground based and spaceflight studies. The first objective was to determine the impacts of tissue harvest time post-euthanasia, preservation methods, and storage duration, focusing on RNA quality and enzyme activities in liver and spleen as indices of sample quality. The second objective was to develop methods that will maximize science return by dissecting multiple tissues after long duration storage in situ at -80°C.MethodsTissues of C57Bl/6J mice were dissected and preserved at various time points post-euthanasia and stored at -80°C for up to 11 months. In some experiments, tissues were recovered from frozen carcasses which had been stored at -80°C up to 7 months. RNA quantity and quality was assessed by measuring RNA Integrity Number (RIN) values using an Agilent Bioanalyzer. Additionally, the quality of tissues was assessed by measuring activities of hepatic enzymes (catalase, glutathione reductase and GAPDH).ResultsFresh tissues were collected up to one hour post-euthanasia, and stored up to 11 months at -80°C, with minimal adverse effects on the RNA quality of either livers or RNAlater-preserved spleens. Liver enzyme activities were similar to those of positive controls, with no significant effect observed at any time point. Tissues dissected from frozen carcasses that had been stored for up to 7 months at -80°C had variable results, depending on the specific tissue analyzed. RNA quality of liver, heart, and kidneys were minimally affected after 6-7 months of storage at -80°C, whereas RNA degradation was evident in tissues such as small intestine, bone, and bone marrow when they were collected from the carcasses frozen for 2.5 months.ConclusionThese results demonstrate that 1) the protocols developed for spaceflight experiments with on-orbit dissections support the retrieval of high quality samples for RNA expression and some protein analyses, despite delayed preservation post-euthanasia or prolonged storage, and 2) many additional tissues for gene expression analysis can be obtained by dissection even following prolonged storage of the tissue in situ at -80°C. These findings have relevance both to high value, ground-based experiments when sample collection capability is severely constrained, and to spaceflight experiments that entail on-orbit sample recovery by astronauts.

Dataset Information

Taphonomic experiments resolve controls on the preservation of melanosomes and keratinous tissues in feathers.

Publications

Taphonomic experiments resolve controls on the preservation of melanosomes and keratinous tissues in feathers.

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