title: Evidence of preserved collagen in an Early Jurassic sauropodomorph dinosaur revealed by synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy.
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.
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan.|Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, Chung-Li 32001, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yao-Chang
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Cheng
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pei-Yu
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chao-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, Chung-Li 32001, Taiwan.|Dinosaur Evolution Research Center of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China.|College of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 400, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Chieh
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Iue
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, Chung-Li 32001, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Rong-Seng
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Tosun Public Interests Foundation, Taipei 100, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Optics and Photonics, National Central University, Chung-Li 32001, Taiwan.|Dinosaur Evolution Research Center of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, China.|College of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 400, Taiwan.|Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6.
authors.forename: Robert R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Reisz
mesh_terms: D000577:Amides / Q000032:analysis / Q000266:history; D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000266:history; D025061:Dinosaurs / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000266:history; D005580:Fossils / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000266:history; D049690:History, Ancient; D012272:Ribs / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D017356:Synchrotrons
chemical_list: D000577:Amides; D005290:Ferric Compounds; C000499:ferric oxide; D003094:Collagen