RT Journal Article
T1 The dental proteome of Homo antecessor
A1 Welker, Frido
A1 Ramos Madrigal, Jazmín
A1 Gutenbrunner, Petra
A1 Mackie, Meaghan
A1 Tiwary, Shivani
A1 Rakownikow Jersie-Christensen, Rosa
A1 Chiva, Cristina
A1 Dickinson, Marc R.
A1 Kuhlwilm, Martin
A1 de Manuel, Marc
A1 Gelabert, Pere
A1 Martinón Torres, María
A1 Margvelashvili, Ann
A1 Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis
A1 Carbonell i Roura, Eudald
A1 Marques  Bonet, Tomas
A1 Penkman, Kirsty
A1 Sabidó, Eduard
A1 Cox, Jürgen
A1 Olsen, Jesper V.
A1 Lordkipanidze, David
A1 Racimo, Fernando
A1 Lalueza-Fox, Carles
A1 Bermúdez de Castro, José María
A1 Willerslev, Eske
A1 Cappellini, Enrico
AB The phylogenetic relationships between hominins of the Early Pleistocene epoch in Eurasia, such as Homo antecessor, and hominins that appear later in the fossil record during the Middle Pleistocene epoch, such as Homo sapiens, are highly debated1,2,3,4,5. For the oldest remains, the molecular study of these relationships is hindered by the degradation of ancient DNA. However, recent research has demonstrated that the analysis of ancient proteins can address this challenge6,7,8. Here we present the dental enamel proteomes of H. antecessor from Atapuerca (Spain)9,10 and Homo erectus from Dmanisi (Georgia)1, two key fossil assemblages that have a central role in models of Pleistocene hominin morphology, dispersal and divergence. We provide evidence that H. antecessor is a close sister lineage to subsequent Middle and Late Pleistocene hominins, including modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans. This placement implies that the modern-like face of H. antecessor—that is, similar to that of modern humans—may have a considerably deep ancestry in the genus Homo, and that the cranial morphology of Neanderthals represents a derived form. By recovering AMELY-specific peptide sequences, we also conclude that the H. antecessor molar fragment from Atapuerca that we analysed belonged to a male individual. Finally, these H. antecessor and H. erectus fossils preserve evidence of enamel proteome phosphorylation and proteolytic digestion that occurred in vivo during tooth formation. Our results provide important insights into the evolutionary relationships between H. antecessor and other hominin groups, and pave the way for future studies using enamel proteomes to investigate hominin biology across the existence of the genus Homo.
PB Nature Research
SN 0028-0836, ESSN: 1476-4687
YR 2020
FD 2020
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/6220
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/6220
LA eng
NO Unión Europea. Horizonte 2020
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)/FEDER
NO Generalitat de Catalunya
NO Junta de Castilla y León/Fundación Atapuerca
NO Danish National Research Foundation
NO Lundbeck Foundation
NO Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)/FEDER
NO Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa
DS Docta Complutense
RD 10 abr 2025