Abalone nacre insoluble matrix induces growth of flat and oriented aragonite crystals

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Fabian HeinemannM Fritz

Abstract

Mollusc shell formation takes place in a preformed extracellular matrix, composed of insoluble chitin, coated with proteins and dissolved macromolecules. The water-soluble matrix is known to have a strong influence on the growth of CaCO(3), whereas the role of the insoluble matrix on mineralization is unclear. Therefore, we mineralized the EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) insoluble organic matrix of abalone nacre with a modified double-diffusion set-up, where the diffusing solutions were constantly renewed. Control experiments were performed with cellulose and chitosan foils. The mineralized matrices/foils were analyzed with SEM. We show that the insoluble matrix of abalone nacre induces the growth of flat and roughly polygonal CaCO(3) crystals. In some of the experiments with the insoluble matrix, the growth of three-dimensional parallel sheets of densely packed platelets inside the insoluble matrix was observed. XRD on these samples revealed that they consist of oriented aragonite.

References

Jun 1, 1985·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·L Addadi, S Weiner
Aug 15, 2002·Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry·Giuseppe FaliniAlberto Ripamonti
Sep 1, 2005·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Nadine NassifHelmut Cölfen

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Citations

Nov 11, 2008·Chemical Communications : Chem Comm·Cheng ChengZhengzhong Shao
Dec 21, 2010·Biophysical Chemistry·Fabian HeinemannMonika Fritz
Aug 19, 2009·Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology·Ning WangShugo Watabe
May 8, 2008·The FEBS Journal·Tetsuro SamataTakahiro Akiyama
Aug 19, 2007·Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications·Masato YanoHiroshi Miyamoto

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