COL1A2 Barcoding: Bone Species Identification via Shotgun Proteomics.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Proteomics
• Forensic Science

Background:

• Fragmentary bone species identification is difficult in archaeology and forensics.
• Bone collagen proteins offer a promising alternative for species identification.
• Existing methods require specialized techniques or extensive databases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel method for automatic species identification from fragmentary bones using collagen protein sequences.
• To establish collagen type 1 alpha 2 (COL1A2) as a reliable protein barcode for vertebrate species identification.
• To adapt shotgun proteomics for rapid and accurate species determination in forensic and archaeological samples.

Main Methods:

• Shotgun proteomics analysis of bone samples.
• Utilizing a specialized database of COL1A2 protein sequences from various vertebrates for SEQUEST search engine.
• Identifying species-specific marker peptides within COL1A2 sequences.
• Scoring protein entries based on the number of identified marker peptides.

Main Results:

• The developed method correctly identified all 30 tested vertebrate species.
• COL1A2 peptides demonstrated distinct sequences across different species, serving as effective markers.
• The highest scoring COL1A2 entry consistently matched the species of origin for the bone sample.
• The method proved robust and accurate for automated species identification.

Conclusions:

• COL1A2 protein sequences function as a reliable 'bone barcode' for species identification.
• Shotgun proteomics combined with a targeted COL1A2 database enables automated bone species identification.
• This technique offers a significant advancement for species determination in challenging archaeological and forensic contexts.