2025-06-18 中国科学院(CAS)
<関連情報>
- https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/earth/202506/t20250619_1045801.shtml
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu9677
- https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00627-0
後期中期更新世ハルビン個体のプロテオーム The proteome of the late Middle Pleistocene Harbin individual
Qiaomei Fu, Fan Bai, Huiyun Rao, Shaokun Chen, […] , and Qiang Ji
Science Published:18 Jun 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adu9677
Abstract
Denisovans are a hominin group primarily known through genomes or proteins, but the precise morphological features of Denisovans remain elusive due to the fragmentary nature of discovered fossils. Here we report ninety-five endogenous proteins retrieved from a nearly complete cranium from Harbin, China, dating to at least 146,000 years ago and previous assigned to a new species, Homo longi. This individual has three Denisovan derived amino acid variants and clusters with Denisova 3, suggesting 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.
14.6万年前のハルビン頭蓋の歯石から採取されたデニソワ人のミトコンドリアDNA Denisovan mitochondrial DNA from dental calculus of the >146,000-year-old Harbin cranium
Qiaomei Fu ∙ Peng Cao ∙ Qingyan Dai ∙ … ∙ Wanjing Ping ∙ Svante Pääbo ∙ Qiang Ji
Cell Published:June 18, 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.05.040
Graphical abstract
Highlights
•Host DNA was retrieved from the dental calculus of a Middle Pleistocene hominin
•The Harbin mtDNA (>146 ka) is linked to early Denisovan mtDNAs
•Denisovan mtDNA is directly connected to a nearly complete hominin cranium
Summary
Denisovans have yet to be directly associated with a hominin cranium, limiting our understanding of their morphology and geographical distribution. We have attempted to retrieve DNA from a nearly complete Middle Pleistocene cranium from Harbin (>146 ka), northeastern China. Although no DNA could be retrieved from a tooth or the petrous bone, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) could be isolated from dental calculus. The mtDNA falls within Denisovan mtDNA variation and is related to an mtDNA branch carried by early Denisovan individuals in southern Siberia, previously observed in Denisova Cave. This suggests that Denisovans inhabited a large geographical range in Asia in the Middle Pleistocene. The association of Denisovan mtDNA with the Harbin cranium allows a better understanding of the morphological relationships between Denisovans and other East Asian Middle Pleistocene fossils. Furthermore, the retrieval of host DNA from dental calculus opens new possibilities for genetic research on Middle Pleistocene hominins.
