Palaeoproteomic identification of breast milk protein residues from the archaeological skeletal remains of a neonatal dog.

ABSTRACT: Accurate postmortem estimation of breastfeeding status for archaeological or forensic neonatal remains is difficult. Confident identification of milk-specific proteins associated with these remains would provide direct evidence of breast milk consumption. We used liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS) to confidently identify beta-lactoglobulin-1 (LGB1) and whey acidic protein (WAP), major whey proteins associated with a neonatal dog (Canis lupus familiaris) skeleton (430-960 cal AD), from an archaeological site in Hokkaido, Japan. The age at death of the individual was estimated to be approximately two weeks after birth. Protein residues extracted from rib and vertebra fragments were analyzed and identified by matching tandem MS spectra against the dog reference pro

SUBMITTER: Tsutaya T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6731306 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature