Files and links (1)
Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Preservation potential of keratin in deep time
PloS one, v 13(11), pp e0206569-e0206569
2018
PMID: 30485294
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Multiple fossil discoveries and taphonomic experiments have established the durability of keratin. The utility and specificity of antibodies to identify keratin peptides has also been established, both in extant feathers under varying treatment conditions, and in feathers from extinct organisms. Here, we show localization of feather-keratin antibodies to control and heat-treated feathers, testifying to the repeatability of initial data supporting the preservation potential of keratin. We then show new data at higher resolution that demonstrates the specific response of these antibodies to the feather matrix, we support the presence of protein in heat-treated feathers using ToF-SIMS, and we apply these methods to a fossil feather preserved in the unusual environment of sinter hot springs. We stress the importance of employing realistic conditions such as sediment burial when designing experiments intended as proxies for taphonomic processes occurring in the fossil record. Our data support the hypothesis that keratin, particularly the β-keratin that comprises feathers, has potential to preserve in fossil remains.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Preservation potential of keratin in deep time
- Creators
- Mary Higby Schweitzer - North Carolina State UniversityWenxia Zheng - North Carolina State UniversityAlison E Moyer - Drexel UniversityPeter Sjövall - RISE Research Institutes of SwedenJohan Lindgren - Lund University
- Publication Details
- PloS one, v 13(11), pp e0206569-e0206569
- Publisher
- Public LIbrary of Science (PLOS)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000451755800022
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85057465903
- Other Identifier
- 991019168729104721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Evolutionary Biology