Peptide induced crystallization of calcium carbonate on wrinkle patterned substrate: implications for chitin formation in molluscs.

We here present the nucleation and growth of calcium carbonate under the influence of synthetic peptides on topographically patterned poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrates, which have a controlled density of defects between the wrinkles. Experiments with two lysine-rich peptides derived from the extracellular conserved domain E22 of the mollusc chitin synthase Ar-CS1, AKKKKKAS (AS8) and EEKKKKKES (ES9) on these substrates showed their influence on the calcium carbonate morphology. A transition from polycrystalline composites to single crystalline phases was achieved with the peptide AS8 by changing the pH of the buffer solution.

On the function of chitin synthase extracellular domains in biomineralization.

Molluscs with various shell architectures evolved around 542-525 million years ago, as part of a larger phenomenon related to the diversification of metazoan phyla. Molluscs deposit minerals in a chitin matrix. The mollusc chitin is synthesized by transmembrane enzymes that contain several unique extracellular domains.

GFP facilitates native purification of recombinant perlucin derivatives and delays the precipitation of calcium carbonate.

Insolubility is one of the possible functions of proteins involved in biomineralization, which often limits their native purification. This becomes a major problem especially when recombinant expression systems are required to obtain larger amounts. For example, the mollusc shell provides a rich source of unconventional proteins, which can interfere in manifold ways with different mineral phases and interfaces.

Hierarchical super-structure identified by polarized light microscopy, electron microscopy and nanoindentation: Implications for the limits of biological control over the growth mode of abalone sea shells.

Background: Mollusc shells are commonly investigated using high-resolution imaging techniques based on cryo-fixation. Less detailed information is available regarding the light-optical properties. Sea shells of Haliotis pulcherina were embedded for polishing in defined orientations in order to investigate the interface between prismatic calcite and nacreous aragonite by standard materialographic methods.