Brief communication: oxygen isotopes as a biomarker for sickle-cell disease? Results from transgenic mice expressing human hemoglobin S genes

American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Laurie J Reitsema, Douglas E Crews

Abstract

The origins of sickle-cell disease (SCD) are well understood, as are its evolutionary pressures on humans and pathological presentation. However, because it has not been possible to identify SCD in archaeological contexts, its biocultural effects on past populations are unknown. Previous research investigating oxygen isotope fractionation during respiration among anemics suggests that oxygen isotopes in bone apatite may provide a biological marker for SCD in skeletal remains. This pilot study reports δ(18) O ratios in bone apatite of transgenic laboratory mice expressing human SCD globins and compares them to healthy control mice. The δ(18) O ratios of sick mice are significantly lower than those of healthy mice (-5.6‰ vs. -4.5‰; P = 0.002), and the sickest mice exhibit the lowest ratios of all (mean δ(18) O = -5.8‰). These preliminary results suggest that this method may be usefully applied to skeletal materials of past human populations whose diets and water sources do not differ substantially.

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Citations

Dec 7, 2013·Homo : internationale Zeitschrift für die vergleichende Forschung am Menschen·K SzostekS Milisauskas
Dec 20, 2015·American Journal of Primatology·Brooke E CrowleyMatt Sponheimer
Oct 10, 2013·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Lesley A Gregoricka
Feb 14, 2015·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Kate BrittonMichael P Richards
Jun 21, 2013·American Journal of Human Biology : the Official Journal of the Human Biology Council·Laurie J Reitsema
Jul 24, 2015·American Journal of Human Biology : the Official Journal of the Human Biology Council·Laurie J Reitsema
Jul 3, 2021·Metabolites·Illa TeaGuillaume Tcherkez

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