1] Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA [2] Cancer Research Institute & Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea [3].
1] Cancer Research Institute & Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea [2].
Sci Rep. 2014 May 16;4:4963. doi: 10.1038/srep04963.
An improved understanding of glycosylation will provide new insights into many biological processes. In the analysis of oligosaccharides from biological samples, a strict regime is typically followed to ensure sample integrity. However, the fate of glycans that have been exposed to environmental conditions over millennia has not yet been investigated. This is also true for understanding the evolution of the glycosylation machinery in humans as well as in any other biological systems. In this study, we examined the glycosylation of tissue samples derived from four mummies which have been naturally preserved: - the 5,300 year old "Iceman called Oetzi", found in the Tyrolean Alps; the 2,400 year old "Scythian warrior" and "Scythian Princess", found in the Altai Mountains; and a 4 year old apartment mummy, found in Vienna/Austria. The number of N-glycans that were identified varied both with the age and the preservation status of the mummies. More glycan structures were discovered in the contemporary sample, as expected, however it is significant that glycan still exists in the ancient tissue samples. This discovery clearly shows that glycans persist for thousands of years, and these samples provide a vital insight into ancient glycosylation, offering us a window into the distant past.
对糖基化的深入了解将为许多生物过程提供新的见解。在分析生物样本中的寡糖时，通常需要遵循严格的方案来确保样本的完整性。然而，尚未研究已经暴露于环境条件下数千年的聚糖的命运。对于理解人类以及任何其他生物系统中糖基化机制的演化也是如此。在这项研究中，我们研究了从四个自然保存的木乃伊中提取的组织样本的糖基化情况： - 5300 年前的“阿尔卑斯山冰人”，发现于蒂罗尔阿尔卑斯山；2400 年前的“斯基泰武士”和“斯基泰公主”，发现于阿尔泰山；以及一个 4 岁的公寓木乃伊，发现于奥地利维也纳。鉴定出的 N-聚糖数量既随木乃伊的年龄又随保存状况而变化。不出所料，在当代样本中发现了更多的聚糖结构，但重要的是，古老的组织样本中仍然存在聚糖。这一发现清楚地表明，聚糖可以持续数千年，这些样本为古代糖基化提供了重要的见解，为我们提供了一个窥视遥远过去的窗口。
