PMID: 11607630Feb 20, 1996Paper

Skeletal matrices, muci, and the origin of invertebrate calcification

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
F MarinPeter Westbroek

Abstract

The sudden appearance of calcified skeletons among many different invertebrate taxa at the Precambrian-Cambrian transition may have required minor reorganization of preexisting secretory functions. In particular, features of the skeletal organic matrix responsible for regulating crystal growth by inhibition may be derived from mucous epithelial excretions. The latter would have prevented spontaneous calcium carbonate overcrusting of soft tissues exposed to the highly supersaturated Late Proterozoic ocean [Knoll, A. H., Fairchild, I. J. & Swett, K. (1993) Palaios 8, 512-525], a putative function for which we propose the term "anticalcification." We tested this hypothesis by comparing the serological properties of skeletal water-soluble matrices and mucous excretions of three invertebrates--the scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis and the bivalve molluscs Mytilus edulis and Mercenaria mercenaria. Crossreactivities recorded between muci and skeletal water-soluble matrices suggest that these different secretory products have a high degree of homology. Furthermore, freshly extracted muci of Mytilus were found to inhibit calcium carbonate precipitation in solution.

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Citations

Apr 15, 2006·Marine Biotechnology·Cen Zhang, Rongqing Zhang
Jul 26, 2003·Protein Expression and Purification·Frédéric MarinPeter Westbroek
May 28, 2010·Nature·Martin R Smith, Jean-Bernard Caron
May 12, 2011·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Maria P MigliettaClifford W Cunningham
Sep 4, 2003·Connective Tissue Research·Adele L Boskey
Dec 29, 2015·Chemical Reviews·Sophie DallongevilleCaroline Tokarski
Jan 18, 2007·Evolution & Development·Alan C LoveRudolf A Raff
Dec 6, 2012·Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part A, Ecological Genetics and Physiology·Annegret NicolaiMaryvonne Charrier
May 23, 2012·Micron : the International Research and Review Journal for Microscopy·Malte LaunspachMonika Fritz
Oct 13, 2016·Molecular Biology and Evolution·Alan O MarronDaniel J Richter
Mar 31, 2017·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Rachel WoodAndrey Yu Zhuravlev
Mar 6, 2002·Microscopy Research and Technique·Alan T Marshall
Jul 20, 2019·PloS One·Zhi LiaoHai-Ying Liang
Sep 28, 2018·Emerging Topics in Life Sciences·Rachel Wood
Dec 8, 2019·Journal of Structural Biology·Ra'anan LaipnikTali Mass
Apr 11, 2021·Geobiology·Rosalie TostevinRosalind E M Rickaby

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