Nuclear preservation in the cartilage of the Jehol dinosaur
Caudipteryx
Abstract
Previous findings on dinosaur cartilage material from the Late
Cretaceous of Montana suggested that cartilage is a vertebrate tissue
with unique characteristics that favor nuclear preservation. Here, we
analyze additional dinosaur cartilage in Caudipteryx (STM4-3) from the
Early Cretaceous Jehol biota of Northeast China. The cartilage
fragment is highly diagenetically altered when observed in
ground-sections but shows exquisite preservation after
demineralization. It reveals transparent, alumino-silicified
chondrocytes and brown, ironized chondrocytes. The histochemical stain Hematoxylin and Eosin (that stains the nucleus and cytoplasm in extant
cells) was applied to both the demineralized cartilage of Caudipteryx
and that of a chicken. The two specimens reacted identically, and one dinosaur chondrocyte revealed a nucleus with fossilized threads of
chromatin. This is the second example of fossilized chromatin threads
in a vertebrate material. These data show that some of the original
nuclear biochemistry is preserved in this dinosaur cartilage material
and further support the hypothesis that cartilage is very prone to
nuclear fossilization and a perfect candidate to further understand
DNA preservation in deep time.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-021-02627-8
Nuclear preservation in the cartilage of the Jehol dinosaur
Caudipteryx
Abstract
Previous findings on dinosaur cartilage material from the Late
Cretaceous of Montana suggested that cartilage is a vertebrate tissue
with unique characteristics that favor nuclear preservation. Here, we
analyze additional dinosaur cartilage in Caudipteryx (STM4-3) from the
Early Cretaceous Jehol biota of Northeast China. The cartilage
fragment is highly diagenetically altered when observed in
ground-sections but shows exquisite preservation after
demineralization. It reveals transparent, alumino-silicified
chondrocytes and brown, ironized chondrocytes. The histochemical stain Hematoxylin and Eosin (that stains the nucleus and cytoplasm in extant
cells) was applied to both the demineralized cartilage of Caudipteryx
and that of a chicken. The two specimens reacted identically, and one dinosaur chondrocyte revealed a nucleus with fossilized threads of
chromatin. This is the second example of fossilized chromatin threads
in a vertebrate material. These data show that some of the original
nuclear biochemistry is preserved in this dinosaur cartilage material
and further support the hypothesis that cartilage is very prone to
nuclear fossilization and a perfect candidate to further understand
DNA preservation in deep time.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-021-02627-8
On 9/25/21 7:57 AM, Pandora wrote:
Nuclear preservation in the cartilage of the Jehol dinosaurI'm not optimistic that anything will come of this, but wouldn't it be
Caudipteryx
Abstract
Previous findings on dinosaur cartilage material from the Late
Cretaceous of Montana suggested that cartilage is a vertebrate tissue
with unique characteristics that favor nuclear preservation. Here, we
analyze additional dinosaur cartilage in Caudipteryx (STM4-3) from the
Early Cretaceous Jehol biota of Northeast China. The cartilage
fragment is highly diagenetically altered when observed in
ground-sections but shows exquisite preservation after
demineralization. It reveals transparent, alumino-silicified
chondrocytes and brown, ironized chondrocytes. The histochemical stain
Hematoxylin and Eosin (that stains the nucleus and cytoplasm in extant
cells) was applied to both the demineralized cartilage of Caudipteryx
and that of a chicken. The two specimens reacted identically, and one
dinosaur chondrocyte revealed a nucleus with fossilized threads of
chromatin. This is the second example of fossilized chromatin threads
in a vertebrate material. These data show that some of the original
nuclear biochemistry is preserved in this dinosaur cartilage material
and further support the hypothesis that cartilage is very prone to
nuclear fossilization and a perfect candidate to further understand
DNA preservation in deep time.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-021-02627-8
cool if it did?
Sysop: | Keyop |
---|---|
Location: | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK |
Users: | 285 |
Nodes: | 16 (2 / 14) |
Uptime: | 71:32:12 |
Calls: | 6,488 |
Calls today: | 1 |
Files: | 12,096 |
Messages: | 5,275,631 |