Results from an Australopithecus africanus dental enamel fragment confirm the potential of palaeoproteomics for South African Plio-Pleistocene fossil sites

Palesa P. Madupe; Fazeelah  Munir; Marc  Dickinson; Alberto J. Taurozzi; Meaghan Mackie; Mirriam Tawane; Catherine Mollereau; Nomawethu  Hlazo; Kirsty Penkman; Lauren Schroeder; Clément Zanolli; Jesper V. Olsen; Rebecca R. Ackermann; Enrico Cappellini

doi:10.17159/sajs.2025/18571

Authors

Palesa P. Madupe 1.Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; 2.Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5514-5221
Fazeelah Munir Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, United Kingdom https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2923-3257
Marc Dickinson Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, United Kingdom https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0465-1612
Alberto J. Taurozzi Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0378-1626
Meaghan Mackie 1.Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; 2.Proteomics Program, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0763-7592
Mirriam Tawane National Heritage Council, Pretoria, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5265-7846
Catherine Mollereau Research Centre on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Centre of Integrative Biology (CBI), National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1543-5624
Nomawethu Hlazo 1.Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; 2.Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5495-1790
Kirsty Penkman Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, United Kingdom https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6226-9799
Lauren Schroeder 1.Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; 2.Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6406-8096
Clément Zanolli From Prehistory to Today: Culture, Environment and Anthropology (PACEA), National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5617-1613
Jesper V. Olsen Proteomics Program, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4747-4938
Rebecca R. Ackermann 1.Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; 2.Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8757-6878
Enrico Cappellini Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7885-7811

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2025/18571

Keywords:

Sterkfontein, sex identification, Paranthropus, hominins

Abstract

The southern African Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene hominin record is abundant and exhibits a high taxonomic diversity with three genera represented: Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Homo. Hominin fossil diversity and variation are often contextualised within other fossil assemblages or modern/extant counterparts. However, the incompleteness of the fossil record, sample selection bias and taphonomic condition of the specimens themselves constrain interpretations of diversity and variation within and between species. Thus, species identification and the nature of the observed variation are frequently debated. Palaeoproteomics can help improve our understanding of taxonomic variation, as demonstrated by the recently generated proteome of Paranthropus specimens from Swartkrans. Here, we demonstrate protein preservation for an A. africanus specimen from Sterkfontein Member 4, Sts 63, using minimally invasive analysis, and identify it as belonging to a male individual. We then discuss some of the current limitations of palaeoproteomics and how we can potentially overcome them. Although it is still in its infancy for Plio-Pleistocene hominin fossils, palaeoproteomics has the potential to help unravel the causes of observed morphological variation. Lastly, we strongly believe that the involvement of African researchers at all levels of this research, including leadership, is of great importance.

Significance:

We have successfully determined the biological sex of an Australopithecus africanus specimen (Sts 63) from Sterkfontein Member 4 with the age range of 3.5 to 2.01 Ma, with a high degree of confidence, and we have assessed the extent of protein preservation. These discoveries hold significant implications for our understanding of sexual dimorphism and intraspecies variation as observed in African Plio-Pleistocene hominins.

Open data set : http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org (identifier PXD054431)