Human Bone Paleoproteomics Utilizing the Single-Pot, Solid-Phase-Enhanced Sample Preparation Method to Maximize Detected Proteins and Reduce Humics

Sample preparation has become an important part of bone proteomics and paleoproteomics and remains one of the major challenges to maximizing the number of proteins characterized from bone extractions. Most paleoproteomic studies have relied on in-solution digestion with the inclusion of filter-aided sample preparation (FASP) as effective methods to detect the proteome. However, neither of these are optimal because few proteins have been detected utilizing only in-solution digestion and the molecular weight cutoff of FASP may miss remaining fragments of proteins in fossil bone. The recently developed single-pot, solid-phase-enhanced sample preparation (SP3) overcomes these issues by not relying on molecular weight while still controlling where the proteins are digested. Here, historical human bones were extracted with either 500 mM tetrasodium EDTA or 400 mM ammonium phosphate dibasic, 200 mM ammonium bicarbonate, 4 M guanidine HCl and digested with the SP3 method. Across all samples, 78 ± 7 (400-200-4) and 79 ± 17 (EDTA) protein accessions were identified, including previously difficult to detect proteins such as osteopontin. SP3 also effectively removed 90% or more of the coextracting humic substances (based on reduced absorbance) from extracted proteins. The utility of SP3 for maximizing the number of protein detections in historical bones is promising for future paleoproteomic studies.