A research group including the Graduate University for Advanced Studies analyzed dental tartar collected from ancient human bones from the Okhotsk culture period more than 1000 years ago and identified ancient proteins derived from humans and oral bacteria. Other researchers participating in the study include Okayama University, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, the University of Tokyo, Ryukyu University Graduate School, and Sapporo Medical University.
Periodontal disease is the main cause of tooth loss in modern people. In fact, research has revealed that people who lived on the Japanese archipelago in the past also suffered from periodontal disease. However, it is unclear what kind of oral bacteria it was. In this study, we collected dental calculus from a human bone of a woman dating back more than 1000 years, dating from the Okhotsk culture period, excavated from Rebun Island in Hokkaido, and performed proteomics using mass spectrometry.
As a result, 15 types of proteins derived from oral bacteria were identified. Of particular note, the team was also able to identify proteins derived from some of the bacteria known as the Red Complex, which is a known cause of modern periodontal disease. They also identified proteins derived from oral bacteria that are known to be associated with periodontal disease in modern humans. Antibacterial peptides and immune response proteins in saliva were also identified as human-derived proteins.
The information obtained from dental calculus provides valuable information for elucidating the health conditions and life histories of people who lived in the past. As research progresses in the future to examine the reality of diseases in the past, it will become clear how bacteria that coexisted with humans have evolved over time, and it may be possible to elucidate the origins and evolutionary causes of diseases that plague modern humans. It is said that there is also a gender.
Paper information:[Scientific Reports] Palaeoproteomic investigation of an ancient human skeleton with abnormal deposition of dental calculus