The oldest protein ever sequenced

2009/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Biokimika

A team of American researchers has succeeded in sequencing the oldest protein that has been sequenced: the collagen of the connective tissue of an hadrosaur that lived 80 million years ago. They have sequenced eight parts of this protein.

For this purpose they have used a femur sample of a hadrosaur of the species Brachylophosaurus canadensis. This femur sample, integrated into the sandstone, has been transferred to the laboratory to prevent contamination from affecting the results.

In the laboratory, the scanning electron microscope has been used to study the shape and structure of the tissue, and the technique of mass spectroscopy to identify tissue proteins. Thus, it has been proven that this hadrosaurium fossil contains collagen, which contains amino acids similar to the collagen of birds. This result reinforces the close relationship between the evolution of dinosaurs and birds. The finding has been announced in the journal Science.