University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 10;14(1):23708. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-74301-y.
The phosphorites of the Quercy from SouthWest France are well known for fossils preserved in 3D with phosphatized soft-tissues. Given that phosphatization is known to favor fine cellular preservation, the present study delves into the histological analysis of white and brown bones of Cainotheriidae (Artiodactyla) recently excavated from the DAM1 site near Caylus. Microscopy revealed that the white bones were completely filled with bacterial erosions, while the brown bones showed a pristine histology and intralacunar content resembling fossilized osteocytes in some areas. After decalcification, a brown bone revealed an abundance of blood vessel-like structures, innumerable osteocyte-like structures with canaliculi and a few chondrocyte-like structures, while a white bone revealed only blood vessel-like structures that looked eaten away. All the data combined suggest the brown bones were shielded from bacterial attacks and were filled with fossilized organic matter and original biological structures. The data taken all together do not support that these structures are casts, but indeed original and endogenous cells. This study encourages further histochemical and mineralogical analyses on Quercy fossils and the unique taphonomy of DAM1 to better understand fossilization processes and their impact on the color of bones, the chemistry of skeletal tissues, soft tissues, and cells.
法国西南部的 Quercy 磷矿以保存有三维磷酸盐化软组织的化石而闻名。鉴于磷酸盐化已知有利于精细的细胞保存，本研究深入研究了最近从 Caylus 附近的 DAM1 遗址挖掘出的 Cainotheriidae（偶蹄目）的白骨和棕骨的组织学分析。显微镜检查显示，白骨完全被细菌侵蚀填满，而棕骨显示出原始的组织学和在某些区域类似于化石骨细胞的腔内内容物。脱钙后，棕骨显示出大量的血管样结构、无数具有小管的骨细胞样结构和少数软骨细胞样结构，而白骨仅显示出看起来被侵蚀的血管样结构。所有数据结合表明，棕骨受到了细菌的攻击的保护，并充满了石化的有机物和原始的生物结构。所有数据都不支持这些结构是铸型，而是确实是原始的和内源性的细胞。这项研究鼓励对 Quercy 化石和 DAM1 独特的埋藏学进行进一步的组织化学和矿物学分析，以更好地理解化石形成过程及其对骨骼颜色、骨骼组织化学、软组织和细胞的影响。
