A fossil protein chimera; difficulties in discriminating dinosaur peptide sequences from modern cross-contamination.

ABSTRACT: A decade ago, reports that organic-rich soft tissue survived from dinosaur fossils were apparently supported by proteomics-derived sequence information of exceptionally well-preserved bone. This initial claim to the sequencing of endogenous collagen peptides from an approximately 68 Myr Tyrannosaurus rex fossil was highly controversial, largely on the grounds of potential contamination from either bacterial biofilms or from laboratory practice. In a subsequent study, collagen peptide sequences from an approximately 78 Myr Brachylophosaurus canadensis fossil were reported that have remained largely unchallenged. However, the endogeneity of these sequences relies heavily on a single peptide sequence, apparently unique to both dinosaurs. Given the potential for cross-contaminati

SUBMITTER: Buckley M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5454271 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature