In Vitro Decomposition of Bone Collagen by Soil Bacteria

The Implications for Stable Isotope Analysis in Archaeometry

Bibliographic Data

ID8351998
AuthorsAstrid Balzer (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), Gerd Gleixner (0000-0002-4616-0953), Gisela Grupe (0000-0002-2731-2296, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, corresponding author), H-L SCHMIDT, Hanns‐Ludwig Schmidt, Stefan Schramm (0000-0002-6109-0893), Susanne Turban-Just (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), S TURBAN‐JUST
Year1997
Volume39
Issue2
Pages415-429
Publication date1997-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeometry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-813X • E-ISSN: 1475-4754
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1475-4754.1997.tb00817.x
OpenAlexW2156712567
LanguageEN
Citations received44
References cited19

To understand biogenic collagen type I decomposition and to establish how diagenesis may bias archaeometric data, modern mammalian bone was inoculated with a selection of ubiquitous soil bacteria. The presence of exogenous microbial biomass in the inoculated specimens was then checked microscopically prior to collagen extraction. The experimentally degraded bone collagen showed altered amino acid compositions, attributable to the selective breakdown of certain amino acids by the bacteria. While both the bulk collagen extract and the single amino acids exhibited shifts to more negative δ 13 C‐values, enrichment was recorded for general δ 13 N, and a depletion trend relative to unaltered collagen was observed for individual amino acid δ 13 N. One explanation for the enrichment of the global δ 15 N‐values is cleavage of peptide bonds, which leaves 15 N within the substrate, while the change of 13 C is mostly due to the altered amino acid composition. On the other hand, possible repolymerization of cleavage products under experimental conditions may also be responsible for the depletion trend of individual amino acid δ 13 C‐ and δ 15 N‐values. This paper discusses the results as a basis for the development of a method for the reconstruction of the isotopic abundance of the original collagen, using the amino acid composition of the degraded product, the contribution of individual amino acids to its global δ‐values and of isotope discriminations implied in the microbial decomposition

Amino acid · Bacteria · Biology · Chromatography · Decomposition · Extraction (chemistry) · Isotope · Isotope analysis · Peptide · Stereochemistry · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Biochemistry · Chemistry · Ecology · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Organic Chemistry

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