Event

Palaeoproteomic analysis for cultural heritage and molecular phylogeny beyond the limits of ancient DNA

  • Conférencier  Prof. Enrico Cappellini, University of Copenhagen

  • Lieu

    Université du Luxembourg, Belval campus, Biotech II

    LU

  • Thème(s)
    Sciences de la vie & médecine

About the topic 

Although the first sporadic attempts to detect and sequence ancient protein residues did not allow routine and confident sequencing of limited amounts of highly degraded protein residues, these limitations were eventually overcome with the application of the proteomics technology based on high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. It is by now consistently demonstrated that ancient proteins represent a more durable source of genetic information, recently reported to survive up to ~1.75 and 3.8 million years (Ma), in dental enamel and eggshells respectively. Their sequences can be reliably used to confidently reconstruct the evolutionary relationships between extant and extinct species. Furthermore, palaeoproteomics demonstrated to be very useful also analyse ancient protein residues for biomolecular diagnostics and conservation of cultural heritage material. Due to their chemical and mechanical properties, proteins have always represented the category of biomolecules most extensively exploited by humans to satisfy basic needs, such as nutrition, clothing, sheltering and transportation, as well as artistic expression and abstract thinking.

About the speaker

Initially trained in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Turin (Italy), Enrico Cappellini then expanded his expertise in proteomics and investigation of ancient proteins and DNA. He was trained in analysis of ancient DNA from archaeological human remains (Cappellini et al., Journal of Archaeological Science 2004) and he received his PhD at the University of Florence (Italy) in 2003. During his post-doctoral activity at the University of York (UK) he continued working on ancient DNA and started characterisation of ancient protein residues by amino acid racemisation analysis and MS-based proteomics (Willerslev, Cappellini et al., Science 2007, Cappellini et al., Naturwissenschaften 2010). He moved to the Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark (SNM), University of Copenhagen (DK), in 2009 and he continued applying proteomics techniques to ancient samples in collaboration with colleagues at the Novo Nordisk Foundation center for Protein Research (CPR). With his team, they published the first ancient proteome (Cappellini et al., JPR, 2012) and the first ancient oral metaproteome (Warinner et al., Nature Genetics, 2014). As a demonstration of his prominent role in paleoproteomics investigation he was invited to submit a “Perspective” piece by the multidisciplinary scientific magazine “Science”. In October 2016, he was appointed Associate Professor in Paleoproteomics at SNM to start his own research group.