Dataset Information

Enamel proteome shows that Gigantopithecus was an early diverging pongine

ABSTRACT: Gigantopithecus blacki was a giant hominid that inhabited Southeast Asia during the Pleistocene. Its evolutionary relationship to other great ape species, and their divergence during the Middle and Late Miocene (16-5.3 Mya), remains disputed. In part, this is due to the absence of cranial and postcranial remains and size-induced allometry. Proposed hypothesis on the phylogenetic positions of Gigantopithecus have therefore been wide-ranging among hominoids, but none has received independent validation based on molecular evidence. To clarify the phylogenetic placement of Gigantopithecus blacki, we retrieved enamel proteome sequences from a 1.9 million years (Mya) old molar found in Chuifeng Cave, China. We demonstrate that Gigantopithecus is most closely related to orangutans (genus Pongo). We also estimate the Gigantopithecus-Pongo divergence to about 10-12 Mya, implying its speciation is part of the Miocene radiation of great apes. These sequences are approximately 6 times older, in a normalized thermal context, than any previously published mammalian proteome or genome. The survival of an Early Pleistocene dental enamel proteome in the subtropics further expands the scope of palaeoproteomic analysis into geographic areas and time periods previously considered incompatible with biomolecular preservation.

INSTRUMENT(S): Q Exactive HF-X

ORGANISM(S): Hominidae

TISSUE(S): Dentin, Tooth Enamel

SUBMITTER: Frido Welker

LAB HEAD: Enrico Cappellini

PROVIDER: PXD013838 | Pride | 2019-11-12

REPOSITORIES: Pride

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Enamel proteome shows that Gigantopithecus was an early diverging pongine.

Welker Frido F Ramos-Madrigal Jazmín J Kuhlwilm Martin M Liao Wei W Gutenbrunner Petra P de Manuel Marc M Samodova Diana D Mackie Meaghan M Allentoft Morten E ME Bacon Anne-Marie AM Collins Matthew J MJ Cox Jürgen J Lalueza-Fox Carles C Olsen Jesper V JV Demeter Fabrice F Wang Wei W Marques-Bonet Tomas T Cappellini Enrico E

Nature 20191113 7786

Gigantopithecus blacki was a giant hominid that inhabited densely forested environments of Southeast Asia during the Pleistocene epoch<sup>1</sup>. Its evolutionary relationships to other great ape species, and the divergence of these species during the Middle and Late Miocene epoch (16-5.3 million years ago), remain unclear<sup>2,3</sup>. Hypotheses regarding the relationships between Gigantopithecus and extinct and extant hominids are wide ranging but difficult to substantiate because of its h ...[more]

PMID: 31723270

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Project description:Pleistocene Pongo teeth show substantial variation in size and morphology, fueling taxonomic debates about the paleodiversity of the genus. We investigated prominent features of the enamel-dentine-junction junction (EDJ) – phylogenetically informative internal structures – of 71 fossil Pongo lower molars from various sites by applying geometric morphometrics and conducted paleoproteomic analyses from enamel proteins to attempt to identify extinct orangutan species. Forty-three orangutan lower molars representing Pongo pygmaeus and Pongo abelii were included for comparison. The shape of the EDJ was analyzed by placing five landmarks on the tip of the main dentine horns, and 142 semilandmarks along the marginal ridges connecting the dentine horns. Paleoproteomic analyses were conducted on 15 teeth of Late Pleistocene Pongo using high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. The geometric morphometric results show variations in EDJ shape regarding aspects of the height and position of the dentine horns and connecting ridges. Despite the issue of molar position and sample size, modern molars are distinguished from fossil counterparts by their elongated tooth outline and narrowly positioned dentine horns. Proteomic results show that neither a distinction of P. pygmaeus and P. abelii, nor a consistent allocation of fossil specimens to extant species is feasible. Based on the EDJ shape, the (late) Middle to Late Pleistocene Pongo samples from Vietnam share the same morphospace, supporting the previous allocation to P. devosi, although substantial overlap with Chinese fossils could also indicate close affinities with P. weidenreichi. The hypothesis that both species represent one chronospecies cannot be ruled out. Two fossil specimens, one from Tam Hay Marklot (Laos, Late Pleistocene), and another from Sangiran (Java, Early to Middle Pleistocene), along with some specimens within the Punung sample (Java), exhibit affinities with Pongo abelii. The Punung fossils might represent a mix of early Late Pleistocene and later specimens (terminal Pleistocene to Holocene) related to modern Pongo. The taxonomy and phylogeny of the complete Punung sample needs to be further investigated.

Project description:Tooth enamel forms in an ephemeral protein matrix where changes in protein abundance, composition and post-translational modifications are critical to achieve healthy enamel properties. Amelogenin (AMELX) with its splice variants is the most abundant enamel matrix protein, with only one known phosphorylation site at serine 16 shown in vitro to be critical for regulating mineralization. The phosphorylated form of AMELX stabilizes amorphous calcium phosphate, while crystalline hydroxyapatite forms in the presence of the unphosphorylated protein. While it is necessary to our understanding of how AMELX regulates mineral transitions over space and time, it is unknown whether and when un-phosphorylated amleogenin occurs during enamel mineralization. This study aims to reveal the spatiotemporal distribution of the most abundant AMLEX splice variants including the full length P173, the shorter leucine-rich amelogenin protein (LRAP), and the exon 4-containing P190 in forming enamel, all within the context of the changing enamel matrix proteome during mineralization. We microsampled permanent pig molars, capturing known stages of enamel formation from both crown surface and inner enamel. Nano-LC-MS/MS proteomic analyses after tryptic digestion rendered more than 500 unique protein identifications in enamel, dentin, and bone. We mapped collagens, keratins, and proteolytic enzymes (CTSL, MMP2, MMP10) and determined distributions of P173, LRAP and P190, the enamel proteins enamelin (ENAM) and ameloblastin (AMBN), and matrix-metalloprotease-20 (MMP20) and kallikrein-4 (KLK4). All enamel proteins and KLK4 were near-exclusive to enamel and in excellent agreement with published expression levels. Phosphorylated P173 and LRAP decreased in abundance from recently deposited matrix towards older enamel, mirrored by increasing abundances of testicular acid phosphatase (ACPT). Our results showed that hierarchical clustering analysis of secretory enamel links closely matching distributions of unphosphorylated P173 and LRAP with ACPT and nontraditional amelogenesis proteins, many associated with enamel defects. We report higher protein diversity than previously published and Gene Ontology (GO)-defined protein functions related to the regulation of mineral formation in secretory enamel (e.g. casein α-S1, CSN1S1), immune response in erupted enamel (e.g. peptidoglycan recognition protein, PGRP), and phosphorylation. This study presents a novel approach to characterize and study functional relationships through spatiotemporal mapping of the ephemeral extracellular matrix proteome.

Dataset Information

Enamel proteome shows that Gigantopithecus was an early diverging pongine

Publications

Enamel proteome shows that Gigantopithecus was an early diverging pongine.

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