Sex estimation of human remains using the results of tooth enamel peptidomic analyses, LC-MSMS

ABSTRACT: Sex of individuals, estimated on human remains, is important information in anthropological, archaeological and forensic researches. In forensic anthropology, this is one of the key points for identifying a person. In archeology and paleoanthropology, information about sex is important for reconstructing the social and biological structure of a group, lifestyle, and for modeling demographic and growth processes in the past. Sex estimation of adult individuals is possible according to morphological criteria when metric and descriptive features are used. In case of poor preservation of the adult skeletons, as well as on children's remains, sex estimation by morphological criteria has some limitations. Therefore regular attempts are made to attract alternative methods for sexing human remains. As one of such methods a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of tooth enamel peptides can be used. The result of this analysis is the identification of certain fragments of amelogenins - the main structural proteins of the organic matrix of tooth enamel, which make up more than 90% of its protein content. Amelogenin genes are located on both the X- and Y-chromosomes and the products of these genes have structural differences that allow them to be differentiated from each other. In the process of maturation of tooth enamel, its protein matrix undergoes proteolytic degradation, as a result enamel already contains proteins in the form of their peptide fragments. Reliable and reproducible detection of unique peptide fragments of amelogenins encoded on the X- and Y-chromosomes in human enamel will make it possible to estimate sex of human remains. The work presents a peptidomic analysis of tooth enamel using chromatography-mass spectrometry. Experiments were carried out on a series of teeth of various archaeological data, tafonomic condition of crown and different biological generations of teeth (deciduous and permanent ones).

INSTRUMENT(S): Q Exactive

ORGANISM(S): Homo Sapiens (human)

TISSUE(S): Tooth Enamel

SUBMITTER: Rustam Ziganshin  

LAB HEAD: Rustam H. Ziganshin

PROVIDER: PXD017965 | Pride | 2020-06-24

REPOSITORIES: Pride