Enamel proteome shows that Gigantopithecus was an early diverging pongine

peer-reviewed · Nature · 2019

peer-reviewed · Nature · 2019. Frido Welker et al. Gigantopithecus blacki was a giant hominid that inhabited densely forested environments of Southeast Asia…
Date 2019-11-13
Type peer-reviewed
Venue Nature
Publisher Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Contribution downstream-application
DOI 10.1038/s41586-019-1728-8
Citations (OpenAlex) 142
Venue 2-year citedness 18.93

Abstract

Gigantopithecus blacki was a giant hominid that inhabited densely forested environments of Southeast Asia during the Pleistocene epoch 1 . Its evolutionary relationships to other great ape species, and the divergence of these species during the Middle and Late Miocene epoch (16-5.3 million years ago), remain unclear 2,3 . Hypotheses regarding the relationships between Gigantopithecus and extinct and extant hominids are wide ranging but difficult to substantiate because of its highly derived dentognathic morphology, the absence of cranial and post-cranial remains 1,3-6 , and the lack of independent molecular validation. We retrieved dental enamel proteome sequences from a 1.9-million-year-old G. blacki molar found in Chuifeng Cave, China 7,8 . The thermal age of these protein sequences is approximately five times greater than that of any previously published mammalian proteome or genome. We demonstrate that Gigantopithecus is a sister clade to orangutans (genus Pongo) with a common ancestor about 12-10 million years ago, implying that the divergence of Gigantopithecus from Pongo forms part of the Miocene radiation of great apes. In addition, we hypothesize that the expression of alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein, which has not been previously observed in enamel proteomes, had a role in the biomineralization of the thick enamel crowns that characterize the large molars in Gigantopithecus 9,10 . The survival of an Early Pleistocene dental enamel proteome in the subtropics further expands the scope of palaeoproteomic analysis into geographical areas and time periods previously considered incompatible with the preservation of substantial amounts of genetic information.

Authors

  1. Frido Welker · Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, University of Copenhagen
  2. Jazmín Ramos-Madrigal · Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, University of Copenhagen
  3. Martin Kuhlwilm · Universitat Pompeu Fabra, University Pompeu Fabra
  4. Wei Liao · Anthropology Museum of Guangxi, China University of Geosciences
  5. Petra Gutenbrunner · Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry
  6. Marc de Manuel · Universitat Pompeu Fabra, University Pompeu Fabra
  7. Diana Samodova · Novo Nordisk Foundation, University of Copenhagen
  8. Meaghan Mackie · National Heritage Council, Novo Nordisk Foundation, University College Dublin, University of Cape Town, University of Copenhagen, University of Turin
  9. Morten E. Allentoft · University of Copenhagen
  10. Anne-Marie Bacon · Université Paris Descartes
  11. Matthew James Collins · University of Cambridge, University of Copenhagen, University of York
  12. Jürgen Cox · Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, University of Bergen, Université de Toulouse
  13. Carles Lalueza-Fox · Universitat Pompeu Fabra, University Pompeu Fabra
  14. Jesper V. Olsen · Novo Nordisk Foundation, University of California San Diego, University of Cape Town, University of Copenhagen
  15. Fabrice Demeter · Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Musée de l’Homme, University of Copenhagen
  16. Wei Wang · Shandong University
  17. Tomas Marques-Bonet · Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, University Pompeu Fabra, University of York
  18. Enrico Cappellini · University of Copenhagen

Methods and tools

  • Gigantopithecus enamel proteome: Palaeoproteomic de novo workflow that recovered the enamel proteome of a 1.9-million-year-old Gigantopithecus blacki molar from Chuifeng Cave, placing it as an early-diverging pongine.

Data deposited

  • Enamel proteome shows that Gigantopithecus was an early diverging pongine (as deposited) · PXD013838

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