Abstract
The natural mummy of prince Cangrande, Lord of Verona, Italy (1291–1329 AD) was studied. Two samples were taken: rib bone and muscle. These samples were cleaved with trypsin and analysed by liquid chromatographic methods coupled to mass spectrometry (Q-TOF, ion-trap). Special attention was devoted to nonenzymatic protein modification––the deamidation of asparagine and glutamine. A huge amount of collagen was determined in the tissues of the mummy (covering over 80 % of the sequence)––collagen type I was identified in the rib bone and collagen types I and III in the muscle. A high overall percentage of asparaginyl and glutaminyl residues were deamidated (up to 92 %). In agreement with the literature we can suppose that the deamidation of really old samples (at least 100-years-old) is mainly dependent on the burial conditions and/or thermal age and cannot serve as a precise “molecular clock”.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
