Minimally Invasive and Portable Method for the Identification of Proteins in Ancient Paintings

Anal Chem. 2018 Sep 4;90(17):10128-10133. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b01718. Epub 2018 Aug 15.

Abstract

A novel method for the analysis of proteinaceous materials present on painted surfaces was developed by taking advantage of the adhesive ability of some fungal proteins which can form a stable and homogeneous layer on flexible transparency sheets able to capture trypsin in a fully active form. We demonstrated that the bioactive sheets were able to efficiently digest proteins, present as such, on surfaces of painted tests and historical samples, releasing peptides that can allow an easy and confident identification of the proteinaceous binders by standard bottom-up proteomic approach. By this method there is no need: (i) to transport the artifacts and (ii) to remove, even at micro level, a sample from the object. The ingenuity of the method lies in the easily accommodated sampling coupled with a minimal invasiveness.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Art*
  • Basidiomycota / chemistry
  • Enzymes, Immobilized / chemistry
  • Fungal Proteins / analysis*
  • Fungal Proteins / chemistry
  • Paint
  • Proteomics
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / methods*
  • Trypsin / chemistry

Substances

  • Enzymes, Immobilized
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Trypsin