Evidence of preserved collagen in an Early Jurassic sauropodomorph dinosaur revealed by synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy
Yao-Chang Lee, Cheng-Cheng Chiang, Pei-Yu Huang, Chao-Yu Chung, Timothy D. Huang, Chun-Chieh Wang, Ching-Iue Chen, Rong-Seng Chang, Cheng-Hao Liao & Robert R. Reisz
Nature Communications 8, Article number: 14220 (2017)
Palaeontology
Received: 13 December 2015 Accepted: 09 December 2016 Published online:
31 January 2017
Figure 1: Rib fragment (CXPM Z4644) of Lufengosaurus.
Abstract
Fossilized organic remains are important sources of information because they provide a unique form of biological and evolutionary information, and have the long-term potential for genomic explorations. Here we report evidence of protein preservation in a terrestrial vertebrate found inside the vascular canals of a rib of a 195-million-year-old sauropodomorph dinosaur, where blood vessels and nerves would normally have been present in the living organism. The in situ synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) spectra exhibit the characteristic infrared absorption bands for amide A and B, amide I, II and III of collagen. Aggregated haematite particles (α-Fe2O3) about 6∼8 μm in diameter are also identified inside the vascular canals using confocal Raman microscopy, where the organic remains were preserved. We propose that these particles likely had a crucial role in the preservation of the proteins, and may be remnants partially contributed from haemoglobin and other iron-rich proteins from the original blood.
Acknowledgements
We thank ChuanWei Yang of LuFeng County Dinosaur Museum and ShiMing Zhong of ChuXiong Prefecture Museum for their assistance in field work, and Cheng-Chi Chen for help with SR-FTIR experiments and the colleagues in the accelerator operation group at the NSRRC, Taiwan, for optimizing the stability of the infrared synchrotron radiation. Funding was provided by NSRRC, MOE 103G-903-2 through National Central University, MOST 105-2112-M-213-001 (Taiwan) and NSERC (Canada).
Author information
Affiliations
National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan
Yao-Chang Lee, Cheng-Cheng Chiang, Pei-Yu Huang, Chun-Chieh Wang & Ching-Iue Chen
Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, Chung-Li 32001, Taiwan
Yao-Chang Lee, Timothy D. Huang, Rong-Seng Chang & Robert R. Reisz
Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
Chao-Yu Chung
Dinosaur Evolution Research Center of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China
Timothy D. Huang & Robert R. Reisz
College of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 400, Taiwan
Timothy D. Huang & Robert R. Reisz
Tosun Public Interests Foundation, Taipei 100, Taiwan
Cheng-Hao Liao
Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6
Robert R. Reisz
Contributions
Y.-C.L. wrote first draft of the paper, analysed spectral data of SR-FTIR and Raman scattering and constructed SR-FTIR spectral images. C.-C.C. made fossil ultrathin slides; C.-C.C. and R.-S.C. first found red-blood-cell-like particles within the Lufengosaurus rib and proposed their study. P.-Y.H. acquired FTIR spectral data and constructed FTIR images; C.-Y.C. collected the transient absorption images of haematite in the fossil; T.D.H. initiated the organic remains project, provided various fossil specimens and contributed to the manuscript. C.-C.W. helped to acquire three-dimensional tomographic images. C.-I.C. set optical alignment of endstation of IMS and acquired FTIR spectral images; C.-H.L. provided logistical and research support. R.R.R. proposed the study, contributed to manuscript and guided the project.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Corresponding authors
Correspondence to Yao-Chang Lee or Robert R. Reisz.
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