Extraction, analysis and interpretation of intracrystalline amino acids from fossils

Abstract

A new protocol for the extraction and analysis of intracrystalline macromolecules has been developed that allows the rapid determination of the amino-acid composition of fossils. The technique utilizes decalcification with 2 M HCI, characterization of the soluble fraction of the biomolecules by automated amino-acid analysis, and differentiation using multivariate statistics. Compared to other methods, this technique allows sampling of indigenous degraded proteins in addition to the preserved remains of peptides, leading to the recovery of data from more reliable indigenous sources. Although the extraction method is demonstrated using fossil samples to demonstrate gross phylogenetic differences, there is much potential to use these biomolecules for a wide range of applications. □Amino acids, brachiopods, fossil biomolecules, molecular phylogeny.