Proteomic method to extract, concentrate, digest and enrich peptides from fossils with coloured (humic) substances for mass spectrometry analyses.

ABSTRACT: Humic substances are breakdown products of decaying organic matter that co-extract with proteins from fossils. These substances are difficult to separate from proteins in solution and interfere with analyses of fossil proteomes. We introduce a method combining multiple recent advances in extraction protocols to both concentrate proteins from fossil specimens with high humic content and remove humics, producing clean samples easily analysed by mass spectrometry (MS). This method includes: (i) a non-demineralizing extraction buffer that eliminates protein loss during the demineralization step in routine methods; (ii) filter-aided sample preparation (FASP) of peptides, which concentrates and digests extracts in one filter, allowing the separation of large humics after digestion; (iii) centrif

SUBMITTER: Schroeter ER 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6731700 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature