Proteins from the organic matrix of core-top and fossil planktonic foraminifera

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Scientific paper

Organic constituents isolated from the tests (shells) of six species of core-top planktonic foraminifera, ranging in age between 2 and 4 Ka BP, consist of a heterogeneous mixture of proteins and polypeptides. At least seven discrete polypeptides are present as indicated by reverse phase HPLC and by gel electrophoresis. High percentages of aspartic acid and glutamic acid characterize one class of protein, while glycine, serine, and alanine-rich proteins dominate in a second class. Similar HPLC Chromatographie elution profiles are observed for all species analyzed, varying only in intensity of the peaks and in amino acid composition from species to species. The approximate molecular weights of two major fossil proteins ranged between 50,000 and 70,000 daltons. A comparison of 2-4 and 300 Ka Bp samples shows that while most of the polypeptides are present in both samples, some acidic polypeptides are not present in the older sample. These data suggest that some of the acidic polypeptides may be more soluble than other fractions and are lost more quickly from the test. The remaining hydrophobic, possibly more insoluble, polypeptides may be preserved in much older specimens and may be useful in tracing phylogeny of the planktonic foraminifera. Amino acid analyses of total test extracts before and after dialysis demonstrate that some acidic amino acids, particularly aspartic acid, and possibly peptides less than 6000-8000 daltons are lost during dialysis. Although a large percentage of these components are undoubtedly from the original organic matrix, at this point adsorbed components cannot be ruled out. These data caution against the use of total amino acid compositions in biogeochemical studies.

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