Paleoproteomics has the potential to provide valuable information on species identification, evolution, phylogeny, ancient diets, past diseases and other aspects of biology and human history. For example, it has been used to study the diets of our ancestors by analyzing proteins present in dental or bone remains, to study the proteins of ancient diseases such as tuberculosis, and to reconstruct the phylogeny of extinct species by analyzing proteins extracted from fossils.
ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) uses the extreme sensitivity of mass spectrometry to analyze peptides present in bone or tooth samples. These peptides are derived from proteins present in animal bone tissue. Using reference databases of peptide mass spectra from different animal species, researchers can compare the spectra obtained from their samples with these databases to determine the species to which the bone or tooth fragment belongs.
We offer ZooMS and LC-MSMS analysis to academics and external groups. If you are interested in ZooMS analysis and would like a quote, please contact Fabrice Bray (fabrice.bray@univ-lille.fr).
Our laboratory works with an optimized preparation method and a 9.4 Tesla MALDI FTICR published in the journal Analytical Chemistry
