The proteome of the late Middle Pleistocene Harbin individual

peer-reviewed · Science · 2025

peer-reviewed · Science · 2025. Qiaomei Fu et al. Denisovans are a hominin group primarily known through genomes or proteins, but their precise morphological…
Date 2025-08-14
Type peer-reviewed
Venue Science
Publisher American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Contribution downstream-application
DOI 10.1126/science.adu9677
Citations (OpenAlex) 33

Abstract

Denisovans are a hominin group primarily known through genomes or proteins, but their precise morphological features remain elusive because of the fragmentary nature of the discovered fossils. Here, we report 95 endogenous proteins retrieved from a nearly complete cranium from Harbin, China, dating to at least 146,000 years ago and previously assigned to a new species, Homo longi . This individual has three Denisovan-derived amino acid variants and clusters with Denisova 3, suggesting that the Harbin individual belongs to a Denisovan population. This study fills the gap between morphological and molecular evidence, enhancing our understanding of Denisovans’ spatiotemporal dispersal and evolutionary history.

Authors

  1. Qiaomei Fu · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
  2. Fan Bai · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  3. Huiyun Rao · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  4. Shaokun Chen · Hebei GEO University
  5. Yannan Ji · Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
  6. Aoran Liu · Hebei GEO University
  7. E. Andrew Bennett · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  8. Feng Liu (Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology) · Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
  9. Qiang Ji · Hebei GEO University

Methods and tools

  • Harbin cranium proteome: Palaeoproteomic sequencing of 95 endogenous proteins from the Harbin (Homo longi) cranium, whose Denisovan-derived amino acid variants place the individual in a Denisovan population.

Methods it uses

  • PEAKS: Commercial DP-based de novo
  • SPIDER: Protein identification from sequence tags while accounting for de novo sequencing error.

Data deposited

  • The proteome of the late Middle Pleistocene Harbin individual — as deposited · PXD058447

Cites (5)

Cited by (2)

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