Researchers from the University of Nottingham and University College London in the UK detail this He studied antibodies from 800-year-old teeth, which arose as a result of the action of ancient pathogens.
In the search, use specialists affinity chromatography, this method uniquely identifies individual molecules, eg. By the way it combines with other molecules.
Scientists confirm that this type of association is the main process in the human immune system. Therefore, thanks to these relationships, it is possible to identify the antibodies retrospectively, as well as the pathogens that forced the body to form them.
The research was conducted on three teeth recovered from an English grave dating back to 1285-1470 AD, and scientists were able to read detailed protein sequences from the extracted antibodies. Then they analyzed how they behaved when exposed to certain viruses.
This was indicated by a team of scientists The 800-year-old antibody retained much of its structure and was still biologically active.
Rahman adds, “Antibodies are different because we are able to tell if they can still do their job Identify viruses or bacteria Even after hundreds of years […] In the future, it will be possible to study how antibodies from ancient samples responded to diseases during these periods, such as the Black Death.
“In archeology, we expect the unexpected, but realizing that intact, functional antibodies could be purified from skeletal remains in the archaeological record was significant,” concluded Dr. Robert Layfield. Very amazing. Some ancient proteins are known to be stable, but they are usually “structural” proteins, such as collagen and keratin, and are fairly inert.
The results of the research were published in a scientific journal iScience.
Ancient proteins have grown in popularity in recent years. Proteomics itself deals with the study of the structure, function, and relationships of proteins. In contrast, archaeaproteomics studies ancient proteins, even from several million years ago, that were preserved in the bones of humans or animals.
newly Scientists have been able to recover proteins found in rhino tooth enamel 1.7 million years ago. Interestingly, the specialists also identified proteins found in eggshells more than 6.5 million years ago. Surprisingly, mammoth bones around 40,000 years old can hold stable antibodies.
Scientists can, based on ancient proteins, point out How did the diseases develop? And at the same time reveal how our bodies have changed to fight them.
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