First sequencing of ancient coral skeletal proteins

Here we report the first recovery, sequencing, and identification of fossil biomineral proteins from a Pleistocene fossil invertebrate, the stony coral Orbicella annularis. This fossil retains total hydrolysable amino acids of a roughly similar composition to extracts from modern O. annularis skeletons, with the amino acid data rich in Asx (Asp + Asn) and Glx (Glu + Gln) typical of invertebrate skeletal proteins. It also retains several proteins, including a highly acidic protein, also known from modern coral skeletal proteomes that we sequenced by LC–MS/MS over multiple trials in the best-preserved fossil coral specimen. A combination of degradation or amino acid racemization inhibition of trypsin digestion appears to limit greater recovery. Nevertheless, our workflow determines optimal samples for effective sequencing of fossil coral proteins, allowing comparison of modern and fossil invertebrate protein sequences, and will likely lead to further improvements of the methods. Sequencing of endogenous organic molecules in fossil invertebrate biominerals provides an ancient record of composition, potentially clarifying evolutionary changes and biotic responses to paleoenvironments.

Equatorial Atlantic ventilation over the last century revealed by deep-sea bamboo coral radiocarbon records

<p>Despite growing interest in ocean-climate interactions in response to recent anthropogenic warming, historical hydrographic data with which to assess changes in the deep ocean over the last century are limited. With their robust calcium carbonate skeletons, deep-sea corals, especially long-lived bamboo corals, serve as a potential archive for reconstructing continuous high-resolution paleoceanographic records extending back hundreds to even thousands of years.</p><p>Here we use deep-sea bamboo corals collected between 800 and 2000 m water depth in the eastern equatorial Atlantic to reconstruct the ventilation history over the last century. Deep-sea bamboo corals have a jointed axis consisting of organic nodes and internodes composed of calcium carbonate. The radiocarbon content of the organic nodes documents the radiocarbon of surface water and likely records the distinctive bomb <sup>14</sup>C signal that can be used to generate a chronology for each coral specimen. By contrast, the radiocarbon content of calcite internodes records the radiocarbon signature of deep water over the lifetime of the coral. The reconstructed calcite radiocarbon record shows a quasi-periodic cycle of about two-decades, which is likely linked to multidecadal fluctuations in North Atlantic climate influencing the ventilation state of the water mass. In addition to radiocarbon records, we show that trace metal compositions of bamboo coral also provides key information with regard to both biomineralization processes, past environmental conditions, and chemistry of seawater. By combining radiocarbon and elemental composition of bamboo coral, we are building a set of tools with which to reconstruct deep ocean dynamics over the last century.</p>