01653nas a2200181 4500008004100000022001400041245012800055210006900183260001600252300001300268490000800281520101300289100002501302700002501327700002001352700002201372856007701394 2016 eng d a0962-845200aPeptide Sequences from the First Castoroides ohioensis Skull and the Utility of Old Museum Collections for Palaeoproteomics0 aPeptide Sequences from the First Castoroides ohioensis Skull and cMar-06-2017 a201605930 v2833 a

Vertebrate fossils have been collected for hundreds of years and are stored in museum collections around the world. These remains provide a readily available resource to search for preserved proteins; however, the vast majority of palaeoproteomic studies have focused on relatively recently collected bones with a well-known handling history. Here, we characterize proteins from the nasal turbinates of the first Castoroides ohioensis skull ever discovered. Collected in 1845, this is the oldest museum-curated specimen characterized using palaeoproteomic tools. Our mass spectrometry analysis detected many collagen I peptides, a peptide from haemoglobin beta, and in vivo and diagenetic post-translational modifications. Additionally, the identified collagen I sequences provide enough resolution to place C. ohioensis within Rodentia. This study illustrates the utility of archived museum specimens for both the recovery of preserved proteins and phylogenetic analyses.

1 aCleland, Timothy, P.1 aSchroeter, Elena, R.1 aFeranec, R., S.1 aVashishth, Deepak uhttp://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/doi/10.1098/rspb.2016.0593