Researchers Identify Tooth Enamel Proteins That Offer Window On Human Life

Native Americans living along the coast of Northern California during the Mission were thought to have high levels of disease and stress.

However, until now, scientists had solid evidence of their health problems, according to new research conducted in collaboration with the Indigenous People. A new way of looking at tooth enamel can give scientists a way to a deeper understanding of human health – from ancient times to modern times. It is believed to be the first research of its kind.

The paper, published today in the Journal of Archaeological Science, examines two proteins found in human teeth: immunoglobulin G, an antibody that fights infection, and C-reactive protein, which is present during inflammation in the body.

“It is heartbreaking to think of the children who may have lost their parents and family to illness, who were thrown into a new cultural environment on a mission they did not understand, and how it turned out how it affects their quality of life.” – Jelmer Eerkens, UC Davis

“These proteins are present in the enamel of the tooth, and it is something we can use to study the emotional health and the health of people in the past,” said Tammy Buonasera, assistant professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and lead author of the paper. . He did research while doing research at the University of California, Davis, and wrote a paper at UAF.

“We see certain people, especially children, with very high levels of these proteins, which people produce when they are under stress,” said Jelmer Eerkens, a UC Davis professor of anthropology and one of the corresponding authors of the paper. “It is heartbreaking to think of the children who may have lost their parents and family to illness, who were thrown into a new cultural environment on a mission they did not understand, and how it turned out how it affects their quality of life.”

Researchers from both universities say the paper provides an important foundation for further work in their laboratories at UAF and UC Davis.

Although tooth enamel has been useful to scientists in recent years to determine the gender of individuals, this latest research goes beyond sexual orientation to look at serum proteins present in among tooth enamel. Although morphological changes in the bones and teeth can tell about diseases and past injuries, many diseases do not leave a trace in other parts of the skeleton. Examining tooth enamel provides additional information, the researchers said.

Conducting health research in consultation with Indigenous Peoples

Dental enamel analyzes were performed on 12 Mission-period ancestral Ohlone individuals interred at San Pedro y San Pablo Asistencia, commonly known as the Sanchez Adobe in Pacifica. This place was founded by the Spanish in 1786 to supply food to Mission Dolores in San Francisco.

The bones were discovered unexpectedly during construction at the site in 2018, the researchers said, and provided the opportunity – by consulting with permission from the descendants of the tribe – to look at the health conditions in Asistencia or nearby too.

The researchers then compared the enamel with 19^th century-old samples from the City Cemetery in San Francisco along with molars taken from healthy military cadets from the United States Air Force Academy between 2005 and 2006.

“We felt it was important to share this knowledge with the community to help keep them in our collective memories.” – Amah Mutsun Tribal Band of Mission San Juan Bautista, California, as the state-appointed Most Kat Descendants for the de San Pedro y San Pablo Asistencia, commonly known as Sanchez Adobe, Pacifica, California.

The research team cross-referenced the levels of the two proteins with the known history and experiences of each resident. The native people of the California Mission experienced high mortality rates, severe stress and developed infectious diseases. European immigrants from the 1800s had a shorter life expectancy than today’s population, but, as a group, were thought to have experienced less stress and disease pass the Ohlone group.

Research will be used to a coming book, to which generations have written introductions:

“While we understand that the study of ancestral remains can raise ethical and emotional issues, we felt that their unrecognized disturbance provided a unique opportunity to learn more about their lives, ” the introduction reads.

“We felt it was important to share this knowledge with the community to help keep them in our collective memories.” – Amah Mutsun Tribal Band of Mission San Juan Bautista, California, as the state-appointed Most Kat Descendants for the de San Pedro y San Pablo Asistencia, commonly known as Sanchez Adobe, Pacifica, California.