Project description:This paper presents the earliest documented evidence for the presence and consumption of horse meat in Early Bronze Age Sicily, significantly revising previous understandings of equid use on the island. Multidisciplinary analyses involving proteomics and lipidomics were performed on ceramic vessels from the Castelluccian settlement at Polizzello Mountain (Caltanissetta), revealing residues consistent with equine-derived substances. Proteomic data unequivocally identified equine serum albumin in multiple pottery fragments, demonstrating active consumption or processing of horse-derived substances within a ceremonial or dietary context. Lipid residues further supported this interpretation, indicating the presence of animal fats and vegetable-derived substances within the pottery. These findings substantially alter existing models of horse domestication, utilization, and dietary practices in prehistoric Sicily, suggesting a far earlier and more complex human-equid relationship. Furthermore, the integration of biomolecular data enhances our understanding of intercultural interactions, ritual behaviors, and economic strategies in the central Mediterranean during the third millennium BCE.
Project description:We undertook gene expression microarray experiments to identify genes that are differentially expressed in invasive (Chorionic Girdle) and non-invasive (Chorion) placental tissue, and resting and Pokeweed Mitogen (PWM) stimulated horse lymphocytes. Conceptus tissues were dissected to obtain chorionic girdle, and chorion. Freshly isolated horse peripheral blood lymphocytes were split and harvested immediately, or stimulated with PWM and harvested over a five day period. These experiments utilized a commercially available Agilent horse array that featured >43,000 probes on a 4x44k array format.
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE35741: Gene expression variation in horse placental and fetal tissue, and resting and stimulated horse lymphocytes [Agilent-018932] GSE35742: Gene expression variation in horse placental tissue, and resting and stimulated horse lymphocytes [Agilent-021322] Refer to individual Series