Comparison of bone collagen and osteocalcin for determination of radiocarbon ages and paleodietary reconstruction

Proteinaceous Material from Potsherds and Associated Soils

“…The survival of collagen in calcified tissue is enhanced by this protein's insolubility in aqueous solution. Although less is known about noncollagenous proteins in bones and teeth, the mounting evidence indicates that certain proteins can survive burial for extended periods of time (Smith & Wilson, 1990;Cattaneo et al, 1990;Tuross, 1991;Aije et al, 1991;Tuross & Stathmoplos, 1993). Incubation of synthetic hydroxyapatite with human blood demonstrates tight association of several plasma proteins with the calcium phosphate matrix (Tuross, 1993).…”

Preservation of Collagen in Bone From Dry, Sandy Soil

“…As a result, protein identification could be most difficult. It has also been noticed that some proteins are better preserved than others (Masters, 1987;Ajie et al, 1991). Bone contains a number of non-collagenous proteins (NCPs), such as the serum proteins albumin and alpha-2HS-glycoprotein.…”

The survival of organic matter in bone: a review

“…Mice that do not express the osteocalcin gene develop an apparently normal skeleton (Boskey et al 1998); equally, its value to archaeology is unclear. It has been proposed as an alternative to collagen for dating (Ajie et al 1990(Ajie et al , 1991(Ajie et al , 1992Huq et al 1990), although with questionable success (Taylor and Hare 1995). The small size and diagenetic stability of this molecule (imparted by its packaging in bone; Collins et al 2000) is apparently ideal for exploiting the technology of proteomics to extend sequencing of biomolecules into deep time (Ostrom et al 2000).…”