EMBARGO: 00.01 BST WEDNESDAY 13th MAY 2015.
Biologically and diagenetically derived peptide
modifications in Moa collagens
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
We have sequenced proteins from bones of the extinct moa (flightless
birds from New Zealand related to emus, ostriches, kiwis). These are the
first peptide sequences reported from this bird, and include large portions
of collagen I, the most abundant protein in bone, as well as sequences
from collagen II and collagen V (other collagens found in bone and
cartilage). We also show modifications to these proteins induced during
life, and distinguish them from those occurring after its death. This study
provides a baseline for future protein studies of moa and their relatives.
Contact: Dr Timothy Cleland, Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, clelat@rpi.edu, +1-970-420-6375
URL after
publication: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/doi/10.1098/rs
pb.2015.0015