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Preservation of proteins in the geosphere

Nature Ecology & Evolution (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Deep-time protein preservation has attracted increasing interest and rapid research activity within the palaeobiological community in recent years, but there are several different viewpoints without a cohesive framework for the interpretation of these proteins. Therefore, despite this activity, crucial gaps exist in the understanding of how proteins are preserved in the geological record and we believe it is vital to arrive at a synthesis of the various taphonomic pathways in order to proceed forward with their elucidation. Here we take a critical look at the state of knowledge regarding deep-time protein preservation and argue for the necessity of a more nuanced approach to understanding the molecular taphonomy of proteins through the lens of diagenetic pathways. We also propound an initial framework with which to comprehend the chemical changes undergone by proteins via the concept of ‘proteagen’.

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Fig. 1: Protein diagenetic pathways and the proteagen spectrum.

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Acknowledgements

R.U. acknowledges the University Grants Commission of India for funding through the Junior Research Fellowship. S.D. acknowledges the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India (project code DST/SJF/E&ASA01/2016-17).

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  1. Raman Umamaheswaran

    Present address: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

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  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India

    Raman Umamaheswaran & Suryendu Dutta

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R.U. and S.D. contributed equally to the conception, writing and editing of the manuscript. R.U. prepared the figures.

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Umamaheswaran, R., Dutta, S. Preservation of proteins in the geosphere. Nat Ecol Evol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02366-z

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