Mass spectrometry-based proteomics and metaproteomics analysis of ancient manuscripts

Abstract

Ancient manuscripts may contain a large amount of additional information besides the written words. This information is not readily visible to the naked eye and is also analytically very challenging to uncover. In the last ten years, mass spectrometric techniques in particular have emerged in this context to provide additional information about the history of an ancient manuscript and the living conditions at that time through proteomics and metaproteomics analyses. This additional information includes not only the methods of book production and the raw materials used, but also the historical usages of the manuscripts. This review is intended to provide insights into the scientific questions that can be addressed with mass spectrometric proteome analyses, as well as an overview of the possible methods and procedures. In addition to the correct handling of the valuable samples, the various possibilities of sampling as non-invasively as possible as well as technical aspects and data evaluation that need to be considered will be discussed. © 2021 Marina Creydt, Markus Fischer, published by De Gruyter.