Preservation of proteins in mummified tissues
Abstract Protein material was extracted from the dessicated tissues of several Egyptian mummies and a frozen Eskimo. The distribution and degree of preservation of high molecular weight protein was analyzed by gel filtration, protein assays, amino acid analysis, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresi...
| Published in: | American Journal of Physical Anthropology |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
1978
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1330480407 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fajpa.1330480407 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ajpa.1330480407 |
| Summary: | Abstract Protein material was extracted from the dessicated tissues of several Egyptian mummies and a frozen Eskimo. The distribution and degree of preservation of high molecular weight protein was analyzed by gel filtration, protein assays, amino acid analysis, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The protein has undergone considerable degradation although some high molecular weight protein (C. 130,000 daltons) remains intact. Amino acid analysis of the extracted protein indicates the basic amino acids have undergone a chemical modification and may represent a point of preferential breakdown in the polypeptide chain. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry of tissue cations suggests a correlation between degree of preservation of mummified tissue and levels of sodium salts (natron) in the tissue. |
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