Diverse bone-calcium isotope compositions in Neandertals suggest different dietary strategies.

Zooarcheological and geochemical evidence suggests Neanderthals were top predators, but their adherence to a strictly carnivorous diet has been questioned. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of calcium-stable isotopes to evaluate trophic and ecological relationships. Here, we measure the δ44/42Ca values in bone samples from Mousterian contexts at Grotte du Bison (Marine Isotope Stage 3, Yonne, France) and Regourdou (Marine Isotope Stage 5, Dordogne, France) in two new Neanderthal individuals, associated fauna, and living local plants. We use a Bayesian mixing model to estimate the dietary composition of these Neanderthal individuals, plus a third one already analyzed. The results reveal three distinct diets: a diet including accidental or voluntary consumption of bone-based food, an intermediate diet, and a diet without consumption of bone-based food. This finding is the first demonstration of diverse subsistence strategies among Neanderthals and as such, reconciles archaeological and geochemical dietary evidence.

Zinc Uptake by HIV-1 Viral Particles: An Isotopic Study.

Zinc, an essential trace element that serves as a cofactor for numerous cellular and viral proteins, plays a central role in the dynamics of HIV-1 infection. Among the viral proteins, the nucleocapsid NCp7, which contains two zinc finger motifs, is abundantly present viral particles and plays a crucial role in coating HIV-1 genomic RNA, thus concentrating zinc within virions. In this study, we investigated whether HIV-1 virus production impacts cellular zinc homeostasis and whether isotopic fractionation occurs between the growth medium, the producing cells, and the viral particles. We found that HIV-1 captures a significant proportion of cellular zinc in the neo-produced particles. Furthermore, as cells grow, they accumulate lighter zinc isotopes from the medium, resulting in a concentration of heavier isotopes in the media, and the viruses exhibit a similar isotopic fractionation to the producing cells. Moreover, we generated HIV-1 particles in HEK293T cells enriched with each of the five zinc isotopes to assess the potential effects on the structure and infectivity of the viruses. As no strong difference was observed between the HIV-1 particles produced in the various conditions, we have demonstrated that enriched isotopes can be accurately used in future studies to trace the fate of zinc in cells infected by HIV-1 particles. Comprehending the mechanisms underlying zinc absorption by HIV-1 viral particles offers the potential to provide insights for developing future treatments aimed at addressing this specific facet of the virus's life cycle.

Isotopic calcium biogeochemistry of MIS 5 fossil vertebrate bones: application to the study of the dietary reconstruction of Regourdou 1 Neandertal fossil.

The calcium isotopic composition (δ44/42Ca) of bone and tooth enamel can be used for dietary reconstructions of extant and extinct mammals. In natural conditions, the δ44/42Ca value of bone and teeth varies according to dietary intake with a constant isotopic offset of about -0.6‰. Owing to the poor conservation of collagen, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) isotopic compositions of the Regourdou Mousterian site (MIS 5, Dordogne, France) previously failed to provide any paleodietary information. Therefore, to reconstruct the trophic chain, we have measured calcium (Ca) isotopes from fossil bone samples of the fauna from the Regourdou site, as well as from three bone samples of the Regourdou 1 Neandertal specimen. The results show a taxon-dependent patterning of the Ca isotopic compositions: herbivores generally have higher δ44/42Ca values than carnivores. All the δ44/42Ca values of Regourdou 1 are low (<-1.6‰), placing this specimen amid carnivores. Using a bone-muscle Ca isotopic offset determined on extant animals, we further show that the δ44/42Ca value of the Regourdou 1 diet, and that of most carnivores, cannot be accounted for by the consumption of meat only, as plants and meat have indistinguishable δ44/42Ca values. Mass balance calculations indicate that the low δ44/42Ca values of the Neandertal's carnivorous diet are explained by the ingestion of bone marrow containing as little as 1% trabecular bone. Our results show that the Regourdou 1 Neanderthal consumed a mixture of various herbivorous prey, as well as trabecular bone, which probably occurred when marrow was ingested, by accident or intentionally.

Determination of magnesium isotopic ratios of biological reference materials via multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE: Despite a wide range of potential applications, magnesium (Mg) isotope composition has been so far sparsely measured in reference materials with a biological matrix, which is important for the quality control of the results. We describe a method enabling the chemical separation of Mg in geological and biological materials and the determination of its stable isotope composition. METHODS: Different geological (BHVO-1, BHVO-2, BCR-1, and IAPSO) and biological (SRM-1577c, BCR-383, BCR380R, ERM-CE464, DORM-2, DORM-4, TORT-3, and FBS) reference materials were used to test the performance of a new sample preparation procedure for Mg isotopic analysis. The procedure consisted of a simple three-stage elution method to separate Mg from the matrix. Mg isotopic analyses were performed in two different laboratories and with three different multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments. RESULTS: The biological reference materials show a wide range of δ26 Mg values (relative to DSM3 standard), spanning over 2‰, from 0.52 ± 0.29‰ (2SD, n = 7) in bovine liver (SRM-1577c) to -1.45 ± 0.20‰ (2SD, n = 5) in tuna fish (ERM-CE464), with an external precision of 0.03‰ (2SD, n = 85). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that isotopic measurements of Mg in biological reference materials show good performance, with the results being within the accepted range. We confirmed that δ26 Mg values in liver are the most positive of all biological materials reported so far.

Isotopic Ag-Cu-Pb record of silver circulation through 16th-18th century Spain.

Estimating global fluxes of precious metals is key to understanding early monetary systems. This work adds silver (Ag) to the metals (Pb and Cu) used so far to trace the provenance of coinage through variations in isotopic abundances. Silver, copper, and lead isotopes were measured in 91 coins from the East Mediterranean Antiquity and Roman world, medieval western Europe, 16th-18th century Spain, Mexico, and the Andes and show a great potential for provenance studies. Pre-1492 European silver can be distinguished from Mexican and Andean metal. European silver dominated Spanish coinage until Philip III, but had, 80 y later after the reign of Philip V, been flushed from the monetary mass and replaced by Mexican silver.

Magnesium stable isotope composition, but not concentration, responds to obesity and early insulin-resistant conditions in minipig.

Hypomagnesemia is frequently associated with type 2 diabetes and generally correlates with unfavorable disease progression, but the magnesium status in pre-diabetic conditions remains unclear. Here, the magnesium metabolism is scrutinized in a minipig model of obesity and insulin resistance by measuring variations of the metallome-the set of inorganic elements-and the magnesium stable isotope composition in six organs of lean and obese minipigs raised on normal and Western-type diet, respectively. We found that metallomic variations are most generally insensitive to lean or obese phenotypes. The magnesium stable isotope composition of plasma, liver, kidney, and heart in lean minipigs are significantly heavier than in obese minipigs. For both lean and obese minipigs, the magnesium isotope composition of plasma and liver were negatively correlated to clinical phenotypes and plasma lipoproteins concentration as well as positively correlated to hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp output. Because the magnesium isotope composition was not associated to insulin secretion, our results suggest that it is rather sensitive to whole body insulin sensitivity, opening perspectives to better comprehend the onset of insulin-resistant diabetic conditions.

Hfe Gene Knock-Out in a Mouse Model of Hereditary Hemochromatosis Affects Bodily Iron Isotope Compositions.

Hereditary hemochromatosis is a genetic iron overload disease related to a mutation within the HFE gene that controls the expression of hepcidin, the master regulator of systemic iron metabolism. The natural stable iron isotope composition in whole blood of control subjects is different from that of hemochromatosis patients and is sensitive to the amount of total iron removed by the phlebotomy treatment. The use of stable isotopes to unravel the pathological mechanisms of iron overload diseases is promising but hampered by the lack of data in organs involved in the iron metabolism. Here, we use Hfe -/- mice, a model of hereditary hemochromatosis, to study the impact of the knock-out on iron isotope compositions of erythrocytes, spleen and liver. Iron concentration increases in liver and red blood cells of Hfe -/- mice compared to controls. The iron stable isotope composition also increases in liver and erythrocytes, consistent with a preferential accumulation of iron heavy isotopes in Hfe -/- mice. In contrast, no difference in the iron concentration nor isotope composition is observed in spleen of Hfe -/- and control mice. Our results in mice suggest that the observed increase of whole blood isotope composition in hemochromatosis human patients does not originate from, but is aggravated by, bloodletting. The subsequent rapid increase of whole blood iron isotope composition of treated hemochromatosis patients is rather due to the release of hepatic heavy isotope-enriched iron than augmented iron dietary absorption. Further research is required to uncover the iron light isotope component that needs to balance the accumulation of hepatic iron heavy isotope, and to better understand the iron isotope fractionation associated to metabolism dysregulation during hereditary hemochromatosis.

Inter-comparison of stable iron, copper and zinc isotopic compositions in six reference materials of biological origin.

There is a lack of certified reference materials with an organic matrix for which metal isotope ratios have been certified. Here, we have determined the iron, copper and zinc stable isotopic compositions for six reference materials of biological origin with diverse matrices, i.e. BCR-380R (whole milk), BCR-383 (beans), ERM-CE464 (tuna fish), SRM-1577c (bovine liver), DORM-4 (fish protein) and TORT-3 (lobster hepatopancreas) in three different labs. The concentrations for six major and sixteen trace elements, spanning almost four orders of magnitude, were also measured and the results obtained show an excellent agreement with certified values, demonstrating that the dissolution step was quantitative for all the standards. By taking literature data into account, 39 possible pair-wise comparisons of mean iron, copper and zinc isotopic values (δ values) could be made. Results of Tukey multiple comparisons of means yielded 11 significantly different pairs. Most of these differences are of the same order of magnitude as the estimated mean expanded uncertainties (U, k = 2) (±0.10‰, ±0.05‰, and ±0.05‰ for the δ56Fe, δ65Cu and δ66Zn values, respectively). The present inter-comparison study finally proposes nineteen new preferred values for the Cu, Zn and Fe isotopic compositions of six reference materials of biological origin.

Lactation and gestation controls on calcium isotopic compositions in a mammalian model.

Lactation and gestation are among the physiological events that trigger the most intense changes in body calcium (Ca) fluxes. Along with the composition of the animal 2021 diet, these events are suspected to impact the Ca isotopic composition of Ca body reservoirs but their dynamics are poorly understood. In this study, we monitored a group of domestic sows across a full reproduction cycle. We collected tissues and fluids (blood, urine, milk, colostrum, umbilical blood, adult and piglet bones) at different steps of gestation and lactation, and analyzed their Ca isotopic compositions (i.e. δ44/42Ca) by means of multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Among other results, we report the first observations of Ca isotopic fractionation between maternal and umbilical blood (Δ44/42Caumbilical blood-sow blood = -0.18 ± 0.11‰, n = 3). Our data also highlight that gestation and lactation periods are characterized by small diet-bone Ca isotopic offsets (Δ44/42Cabone-diet = -0.28 ± 0.11‰, n = 3), with 44Ca-enriched blood compositions during nursing (Δ44/42Canursing blood-gestation blood = $+ 0.42{\rm{\,\,}}_{ - 0.12}^{ + 0.11}$‰, n = 3). Under the light of an up-to-date mammalian box model, we explored different scenarios of gestation and lactation Ca fluxes experienced by a sow-like animal. These simulations suggest that gestation changes on body δ44/42Ca values may result from the intensification of Ca absorption by the animal, whereas the production of 44Ca-depleted milk is the main driver for the 44Ca enrichment in blood during lactation. In addition, our results also support that bone mineralization could be associated with a more restricted Ca isotopic fractionation than previously envisioned. Together, these results refine the framework of Ca isotope applications, notably regarding the monitoring of human bone balance and the study of species and ecosystems from the present and the past.

Homogeneous sulfur isotope signature in East Antarctica and implication for sulfur source shifts through the last glacial-interglacial cycle.

Sulfate aerosol (SO42-) preserved in Antarctic ice cores is discussed in the light of interactions between marine biological activity and climate since it is mainly sourced from biogenic emissions from the surface ocean and scatters solar radiation during traveling in the atmosphere. However, there has been a paradox between the ice core record and the marine sediment record; the former shows constant non-sea-salt (nss-) SO42- flux throughout the glacial-interglacial changes, and the latter shows a decrease in biogenic productivity during glacial periods compared to interglacial periods. Here, by ensuring the homogeneity of sulfur isotopic compositions of atmospheric nss-SO42- (δ34Snss) over East Antarctica, we established the applicability of the signature as a robust tool for distinguishing marine biogenic and nonmarine biogenic SO42-. Our findings, in conjunction with existing records of nss-SO42- flux and δ34Snss in Antarctic ice cores, provide an estimate of the relative importance of marine biogenic SO42- during the last glacial period to be 48 ± 10% of nss-SO42-, slightly lower than 59 ± 11% during the interglacial periods. Thus, our results tend to reconcile the ice core and sediment records, with both suggesting the decrease in marine productivity around Southern Ocean under the cold climate.

Medical applications of Cu, Zn, and S isotope effects.

This review examines recent applications of stable copper, zinc and sulfur isotopes to medical cases and notably cancer. The distribution of the natural stable isotopes of a particular element among coexisting molecular species varies as a function of the bond strength, the ionic charge, and the coordination, and it also changes with kinetics. Ab initio calculations show that compounds in which a metal binds to oxygen- (sulfate, phosphate, lactate) and nitrogen-bearing moieties (histidine) favor heavy isotopes, whereas bonds with sulfur (cysteine, methionine) favor light isotopes. Oxidized cations (e.g., Cu(ii)) and low coordination numbers are expected to favor heavy isotopes relative to their reduced counterparts (Cu(i)) and high coordination numbers. Here we discuss the first observations of Cu, Zn, and S isotopic variations, three elements closely related along multiple biological pathways, with emphasis on serum samples of healthy volunteers and of cancer patients. It was found that heavy isotopes of Zn and to an even greater extent Cu are enriched in erythrocytes relative to serum, while the difference is small for sulfur. Isotopic variations related to age and sex are relatively small. The 65Cu/63Cu ratio in the serum of patients with colon, breast, and liver cancer is conspicuously low relative to healthy subjects. The characteristic time over which Cu isotopes may change with disease progression (a few weeks) is consistent with both the turnover time of the element and albumin half-life. A parallel effect on sulfur isotopes is detected in a few un-medicated patients. Copper in liver tumor tissue is isotopically heavy. In contrast, Zn in breast cancer tumors is isotopically lighter than in healthy breast tissue. 66Zn/64Zn is very similar in the serum of cancer patients and in controls. Possible reasons for Cu isotope variations may be related to the cytosolic storage of Cu lactate (Warburg effect), release of intracellular copper from cysteine clusters (metallothionein), or the hepatocellular and biosynthetic dysfunction of the liver. We suggest that Cu isotope metallomics will help evaluate the homeostasis of this element during patient treatment, notably by chelates and blockers of Cu trafficking, and understand the many biochemical pathways in which this element is essential.

Hypoxia induces copper stable isotope fractionation in hepatocellular carcinoma, in a HIF-independent manner.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent type of primary liver cancer, with increasing incidence worldwide. The unrestrained proliferation of tumour cells leads to tumour hypoxia which in turn promotes cancer aggressiveness. While changes in the concentration of copper (Cu) have long been observed upon cancerization, we have recently reported that the isotopic composition of copper is also altered in several types of cancer. In particular, we showed that in hepatocellular carcinoma, tumour tissue contains heavier copper compared to the surrounding parenchyma. However, the reasons behind such isotopic signature remained elusive. Here we show that hypoxia causes heavy copper enrichment in several human cell lines. We also demonstrate that this effect of hypoxia is pH, HIF-1 and -2 independent. Our data identify a previously unrecognized cellular process associated with hypoxia, and suggests that in vivo tumour hypoxia determines copper isotope fractionation in HCC and other solid cancers.