Use of collagenase to purify collagen from prehistoric bones for stable isotopic analysis. BY M. DeNiro, S.Weiner (original) (raw)

The low molecular weight hydrolysis products of the reaction between collagenase and the HCl insoluble organic fraction from modern and well-preserved prehistoric bones have the same stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions and amino acid composition as "coll~en" extracted by dissolution in warm dilute acid. The hydrolysts products produced using the collagenase method from some poorly preserved fossil bones have the same amino acid composition as the products produced from modem bones, even though the "collagen" extracted from these bones by the conventional solubility method bears no similarity to modem collagen either in terms of amino acid or isotopic composition. These observations suggest that collagenase can possibly be used to purify a fraction from such poorly preserved pichistoric bones that retains its in vivo isotope ratios, thereby permitting isotopic paleodietary reconstruction for bones that cannot be studied with currently available techniques.