Differentiating goose eggshells through proteomics: A case study from Xitou, North China

doi:10.1016/j.jprot.2025.105467

IVPP-IR

	Differentiating goose eggshells through proteomics: A case study from Xitou, North China
	Qi, Binjie 1; Dou, Haifeng 2; Liu, Wei 2; Bennett, E. Andrew 3; Rao, Huiyun 3; Yang, Yimin 1
	2025-08-15
发表期刊	JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS
ISSN	1874-3919
卷号	319 页码:13
通讯作者	Dou, Haifeng(douhaifeng456@163.com) ; Rao, Huiyun(raohuiyun@ivpp.ac.cn) ; Yang, Yimin(yiminyang@ucas.ac.cn)
摘要	Eggshells are significant cultural symbols linked to funeral customs and social development. Identifying their species is crucial in archaeological research. However, their small fragment size makes eggshells difficult to accurately identify using traditional methods. Recent mass spectrometry advances have significantly enhanced eggshell species identification in archaeological research, but their success remains limited. For example, Anser cygnoides and Anser anser eggshells cannot yet be reliably distinguished. This paleoproteomic study uses Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry to identify by proteotyping the species of eggshells from the Xitou site in China. We established a series of peptide markers and amino acid variants to distinguish A. cygnoides from A. anser, and with this method attribute three Xitou eggshell specimens to the graylag goose. Carbon isotope analysis and shell thickness measurements were conducted to understand the domestication of the geese associated with these eggshells. The isotope results indicate that these geese primarily ate C3 plants, and shell thickness results suggest they were possibly domesticated. These findings firstly provide direct molecular evidence of possibly domesticated graylag geese in China and offer new insights into poultry domestication and cultural practices. Significance: Combing ZooMS and LC-MS/MS analysis, we have identified novel peptide markers to distinguish the eggshells of swan goose (Anser cygnoides) from those of graylag goose (Anser anser). Using a series of ZooMS markers and amino acid variations, the eggshells from Xitou site (north China) were identified to be derived from graylag goose. Further eggshells thickness and isotope analysis show that these geese were likely domesticated and primarily fed on C3 plants, offering valuable insights into early geese farming and sustainable practices during the Western Zhou period. Furthermore, the discovery of eggs as burial items highlights the important role that geese played in ancient Chinese culture and rituals.
关键词	Eggshell Xitou site ZooMS Paleoproteomics Stable isotopes
DOI	10.1016/j.jprot.2025.105467
关键词[WOS]	LATER STONE-AGE ; OSTRICH EGGSHELL ; MASS-SPECTROMETRY ; MATRIX PROTEINS ; DOMESTIC GEESE ; IDENTIFICATION ; BEHAVIOR ; ORIGIN ; BEADS ; ZOOMS
收录类别	SCI
语种	英语
资助项目	National Key Research and Development Program of China[2022YFF0903800] ; National Natural Science Foundation of China[T2192952]
项目资助者	National Key Research and Development Program of China ; National Natural Science Foundation of China
WOS研究方向	Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
WOS类目	Biochemical Research Methods
WOS记录号	WOS:001506751300001
出版者	ELSEVIER
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.205/handle/311034/24604
专题	中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所
通讯作者	Dou, Haifeng; Rao, Huiyun; Yang, Yimin
作者单位	1.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Dept Archaeol & Anthropol, Beijing 100049, Peoples R China 2.Northwest Univ, Sch Cultural Heritage, China Cent Asia Belt & Rd Joint Lab Human & Enviro, Key Lab Cultural Heritage Res & Conservat, Xian 710027, Peoples R China 3.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Vertebrate Paleontol & Paleoanthropol, Key Lab Vertebrate Evolut & Human Origins, Beijing 100044, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Qi, Binjie,Dou, Haifeng,Liu, Wei,et al. Differentiating goose eggshells through proteomics: A case study from Xitou, North China[J]. JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS,2025,319:13.
APA	Qi, Binjie,Dou, Haifeng,Liu, Wei,Bennett, E. Andrew,Rao, Huiyun,&Yang, Yimin.(2025).Differentiating goose eggshells through proteomics: A case study from Xitou, North China.JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS,319,13.
MLA	Qi, Binjie,et al."Differentiating goose eggshells through proteomics: A case study from Xitou, North China".JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS 319(2025):13.