Molecular markers in keratins from Mysticeti whales for species identification of baleen in museum and archaeological collections.
Baleen has been harvested by indigenous people for thousands of years, as well as collected by whalers as an additional product of commercial whaling in modern times. Baleen refers to the food-filtering system of Mysticeti whales; a full baleen rack consists of dozens of plates of a tough and flexib...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:70dada45e6af43c29c29d71e7e8c9372 2023-05-15T15:36:01+02:00 Molecular markers in keratins from Mysticeti whales for species identification of baleen in museum and archaeological collections. Caroline Solazzo William Fitzhugh Susan Kaplan Charles Potter Jolon M Dyer 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183053 https://doaj.org/article/70dada45e6af43c29c29d71e7e8c9372 EN eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5576650?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203 1932-6203 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0183053 https://doaj.org/article/70dada45e6af43c29c29d71e7e8c9372 PLoS ONE, Vol 12, Iss 8, p e0183053 (2017) Medicine R Science Q article 2017 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183053 2022-12-31T14:29:05Z Baleen has been harvested by indigenous people for thousands of years, as well as collected by whalers as an additional product of commercial whaling in modern times. Baleen refers to the food-filtering system of Mysticeti whales; a full baleen rack consists of dozens of plates of a tough and flexible keratinous material that terminate in bristles. Due to its properties, baleen was a valuable raw material used in a wide range of artefacts, from implements to clothing. Baleen is not widely used today, however, analyses of this biomolecular tissue have the potential to contribute to conservation efforts, studies of genetic diversity and a better understanding of the exploitation and use of Mysticeti whales in past and recent times. Fortunately, baleen is present in abundance in museum natural history collections. However, it is often difficult or impossible to make a species identification of manufactured or old baleen. Here, we propose a new tool for biomolecular identification of baleen based on its main structural component alpha-keratin (the same protein that makes up hair and fingernails). With the exception of minke whales, alpha-keratin sequences are not yet known for baleen whales. We therefore used peptide mass fingerprinting to determine peptidic profiles in well documented baleen and evaluated the possibility of using this technique to differentiate species in baleen samples that are not adequately identified or are unidentified. We examined baleen from ten different species of whales and determined molecular markers for each species, including species-specific markers. In the case of the Bryde's whales, differences between specimens suggest distinct species or sub-species, consistent with the complex phylogeny of the species. Finally, the methodology was applied to 29 fragments of baleen excavated from archaeological sites in Labrador, Canada (representing 1500 years of whale use by prehistoric people), demonstrating a dominance of bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) in the archaeological assemblage and ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Balaena mysticetus baleen whales bowhead whale Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Canada PLOS ONE 12 8 e0183053 |
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Medicine R Science Q |
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Medicine R Science Q Caroline Solazzo William Fitzhugh Susan Kaplan Charles Potter Jolon M Dyer Molecular markers in keratins from Mysticeti whales for species identification of baleen in museum and archaeological collections. |
topic_facet |
Medicine R Science Q |
description |
Baleen has been harvested by indigenous people for thousands of years, as well as collected by whalers as an additional product of commercial whaling in modern times. Baleen refers to the food-filtering system of Mysticeti whales; a full baleen rack consists of dozens of plates of a tough and flexible keratinous material that terminate in bristles. Due to its properties, baleen was a valuable raw material used in a wide range of artefacts, from implements to clothing. Baleen is not widely used today, however, analyses of this biomolecular tissue have the potential to contribute to conservation efforts, studies of genetic diversity and a better understanding of the exploitation and use of Mysticeti whales in past and recent times. Fortunately, baleen is present in abundance in museum natural history collections. However, it is often difficult or impossible to make a species identification of manufactured or old baleen. Here, we propose a new tool for biomolecular identification of baleen based on its main structural component alpha-keratin (the same protein that makes up hair and fingernails). With the exception of minke whales, alpha-keratin sequences are not yet known for baleen whales. We therefore used peptide mass fingerprinting to determine peptidic profiles in well documented baleen and evaluated the possibility of using this technique to differentiate species in baleen samples that are not adequately identified or are unidentified. We examined baleen from ten different species of whales and determined molecular markers for each species, including species-specific markers. In the case of the Bryde's whales, differences between specimens suggest distinct species or sub-species, consistent with the complex phylogeny of the species. Finally, the methodology was applied to 29 fragments of baleen excavated from archaeological sites in Labrador, Canada (representing 1500 years of whale use by prehistoric people), demonstrating a dominance of bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) in the archaeological assemblage and ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Caroline Solazzo William Fitzhugh Susan Kaplan Charles Potter Jolon M Dyer |
author_facet |
Caroline Solazzo William Fitzhugh Susan Kaplan Charles Potter Jolon M Dyer |
author_sort |
Caroline Solazzo |
title |
Molecular markers in keratins from Mysticeti whales for species identification of baleen in museum and archaeological collections. |
title_short |
Molecular markers in keratins from Mysticeti whales for species identification of baleen in museum and archaeological collections. |
title_full |
Molecular markers in keratins from Mysticeti whales for species identification of baleen in museum and archaeological collections. |
title_fullStr |
Molecular markers in keratins from Mysticeti whales for species identification of baleen in museum and archaeological collections. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Molecular markers in keratins from Mysticeti whales for species identification of baleen in museum and archaeological collections. |
title_sort |
molecular markers in keratins from mysticeti whales for species identification of baleen in museum and archaeological collections. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183053 https://doaj.org/article/70dada45e6af43c29c29d71e7e8c9372 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Balaena mysticetus baleen whales bowhead whale |
genre_facet |
Balaena mysticetus baleen whales bowhead whale |
op_source |
PLoS ONE, Vol 12, Iss 8, p e0183053 (2017) |
op_relation |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5576650?pdf=render https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203 1932-6203 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0183053 https://doaj.org/article/70dada45e6af43c29c29d71e7e8c9372 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183053 |
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PLOS ONE |
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12 |
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