TLDR
This resource gathers protein information from living and extinct human relatives in one organized collection. Researchers can use it to compare ancient remains with modern and ancient genomes.
Summary
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1 Study Aim
The authors aimed to create a palaeoproteomic reference dataset, meaning a comparison library for proteins preserved in ancient remains. They focused on proteins previously found in teeth or bones. The dataset was designed to support identification and comparison of proteins from ancient hominids and living relatives. The study creates a shared protein library for studying ancient human relatives.
2 Study Design
The researchers used PaleoProPhyler, a computational pipeline that converts genome data into protein sequences. They processed 176 publicly available whole genomes from living and extinct hominid groups. They also processed eight ancient hominin genomes from VCF files, which record genetic variants, including three Neanderthals and one Denisovan. From earlier studies, they selected 1,696 proteins and successfully translated 1,543. For each protein, they included the standard form and alternative isoforms, meaning different versions made from the same gene. Each individual therefore has about 10,058 sequences. The archive includes FASTA files, a standard format for biological sequences, organized by protein and sample. The researchers converted many genome records into an organized collection of protein sequences from ancient and living relatives.
3 Findings
The authors report a reference dataset covering ancient and present-day hominids, with about 10,058 protein sequences per individual. The archive contains all sequences together, separate files for each protein, and separate files for each sample. It also includes the protein selection sources and material used for a related evolutionary tree. The dataset enables researchers to compare proteins detected in teeth or bones with predicted sequences from different hominid groups. The authors recommend citing the original studies that supplied the genome data, depending on which samples researchers use. The collection gives researchers a consistent way to compare ancient remains with genetic information from many human relatives.