Anton Chekhov and Robert Koch Cheek to Cheek: A Proteomic Study |
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Authors: | Alfonsina D'Amato Gleb Zilberstein Svetlana Zilberstein Mikhail Ivanovich Golovan Anastasiya Anatolyevna Zhuravleva Pier Giorgio Righetti |
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Affiliation: | 1. Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, England;2. Spectrophon Ltd, Rehovot, Israel;3. State Literary and Memorial Museum–Reserve A.P. Chekhov, Melikhovo, Russia;4. Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering ‘‘Giulio Natta’’, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy |
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Abstract: | Five different letters and post cards as well as the shirt worn by Anton Chekhov on his death bed, stored in the State Literary‐Memorial Museum‐Reserve A. P. Chekhov Melikhovo (nearby Moscow), have been analyzed by applying EVA (an ethyl vinyl acetate foil studded with crushed strong anion and cation exchangers and with C8 resins) diskettes to these surfaces. Three different eluates (under acidic and basic conditions and with acetonitrile) were analyzed by high resolution mass spectrometry. The environmental microbiota present on samples and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain were described by a meta‐proteomics approach. Eight identified M. tuberculosis proteins confirmed the presence of the bacterium and the cause of Chekhov's death, in addition to several sequenced peptides belonging to other bacterial species. The human plasma proteins and human keratins, detected on a tiny blood spot on the shirt, demonstrated the power of the combined approach. |
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Keywords: | Anton Checkhov cultural heritage EVA film Koch bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis |
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