Palaeoproteomic investigation of an ancient human skeleton with abnormal deposition of dental calculus

ABSTRACT: Detailed investigation of extremely severe pathological conditions present in ancient human skeletons is important because they can illuminate the breadth of potential interactions between humans and disease etiologies in the past. Here, we applied palaeoproteomics to investigate the bacterial pathogenic factors and host defense response to an ancient human skeletal individual with severe oral pathology. This female skeleton, from the Okhotsk period (i.e., 5th–13th century) of northern Japan, poses abnormal deposition of large amounts of dental calculus and oral dysfunction due to severe periodontal disease. A shotgun mass-spectrometry analysis identified 81 human proteins and 15 bacterial proteins from her calculus. Two pathogenic or bio-invasive proteins originating from two of the three “red complex” bacteria, the core species associated with severe periodontal disease in modern humans, as well as additional two bio-invasive proteins of periodont-associated bacteria were identified. Human proteins associated with the defense response system were identified, but their proportion was mostly similar to that reported in ancient and modern human individuals with lower calculus deposition. These results suggest that the bacterial etiology was similar and the host defense response was not necessarily higher in ancient individuals with abnormal deposition of large amounts of dental calculus.

INSTRUMENT(S): LTQ Orbitrap

ORGANISM(S): Homo Sapiens (human)

SUBMITTER: Yoko Uchida-Fukuhara  

LAB HEAD: Takumi Tsutaya

PROVIDER: PXD044070 | Pride | 2024-04-01

REPOSITORIES: Pride