Chemical, enzymatic and spectroscopic characterization of collagen and other organic fractions from prehistoric bones

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(88)90122-6· OSTI ID:5254583

DeNiro, M J; Weiner, S ^[1]

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1. Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot (Israel)

Three organic fractions from 9 modern bones were prepared: collagen, the HCl insoluble fraction, and the HCl soluble fraction. The fraction that has the same solubility characteristics as collagen (referred to herein as collagen) and the HCl soluble and insoluble fractions from 44 prehistoric bones were also prepared. Of these 44, 17 had collagen with {delta}{sup 13}C and {delta}{sup 15}N values and C/N ratios within the ranges displayed by collagen from modern animals that ate the same types of food, whereas collagen in the remaining samples displayed clear evidence of diagenetic isotopic and/or elemental alteration based on comparisons with modern collagen. The bones were characterized in terms of the amino acid compositions and infrared spectra of the three organic fractions, and the amino acid compositions of the low molecular weight products of the reaction between collagenase and collagen. Application of the chemical, enzymatic and spectroscopic methods presented here should permit unequivocable identification of prehistoric samples that have suffered postmortem alteration of their collagen isotopic compositions, including those that have undergone more subtle isotopic shifts than can be identified by changes in the collagen C/N ratio, the only criterion applied to data for identifying altered samples. Some of the techniques the authors used to identify altered samples can be applied to fractions more readily prepared than collagen, thereby facilitating screening of large numbers of samples in order to eliminate those unsuitable for isotopic paleodietary analysis. The same criteria the authors have established to identify collagen samples that have not suffered postmortem stable isotopic alteration could be applied to characterize samples prepared for radiocarbon analysis, leading to more accurate dating of bone.

• OSTI ID: 5254583
• Journal Information: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (USA), Vol. 52:9; ISSN 0016-7037
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
BONE TISSUES
COLLAGEN
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
ENZYME ACTIVITY
ISOTOPE RATIO
FOSSILS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
CARBON 13
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
DIAGENESIS
DIET
DISSOLUTION
ENZYMES
GEOCHEMISTRY
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
ISOTOPE DATING
NITROGEN 15
SKELETON
SPECTROSCOPY
AGE ESTIMATION
ANIMAL TISSUES
BODY
CARBON ISOTOPES
CHEMISTRY
CONNECTIVE TISSUE
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NITROGEN ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PROTEINS
SCLEROPROTEINS
STABLE ISOTOPES
TISSUES
580000* - Geosciences