Search results for "Spicule"
showing 10 items of 73 documents
The enzyme carbonic anhydrase as an integral component of biogenic Ca-carbonate formation in sponge spicules
2013
The inorganic scaffold of the spicules, the skeletal elements of the calcareous sponges, is formed of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The growth of the approximately 300-μm large spicules, such as those of the calcareous sponge Sycon raphanus used in the present study, is a rapid process with a rate of about 65 μm/h. The formation of CaCO3 is predominantly carried out by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA). The enzyme from the sponge S. raphanus was isolated and prepared by recombination. The CA-driven deposition of CaCO3 crystallites is dependent on temperature (optimal at 52 °C), the pH value of the reaction assay (7.5/8.0), and the substrate concentration (CO2 and Ca2+). During the initial pha…
Fractal-related assembly of the axial filament in the demosponge Suberites domuncula: relevance to biomineralization and the formation of biogenic si…
2007
Abstract The siliceous spicules of sponges (Porifera) show great variations of sizes, shapes and forms; they constitute the chief supporting framework of these animals; these skeletal elements are synthesized enzymatically by silicatein. Each sponge species synthesizes at least two silicateins, which are termed − α and − β . In the present study, using the demosponge Suberites domuncula , we studied if the silicateins of the axial filament contribute to the shape formation of the spicules. For these experiments native silicateins have been isolated by a new Tris/glycerol extraction procedure. Silicateins isolated by this procedure are monomeric (24 kDa), but readily form dimers through non-…
Optical properties of in-vitro biomineralised silica
2012
Silicon is the second most common element on the Earth's crust and its oxide (SiO(2)) the most abundant mineral. Silica and silicates are widely used in medicine and industry as well as in micro- and nano-optics and electronics. However, the fabrication of glass fibres and components requires high temperature and non-physiological conditions, in contrast to biosilica structures in animals and plants. Here, we show for the first time the use of recombinant silicatein-α, the most abundant subunit of sponge proteins catalyzing biosilicification reactions, to direct the formation of optical waveguides in-vitro through soft microlithography. The artificial biosilica fibres mimic the natural spon…
Enzyme-accelerated and structure-guided crystallization of calcium carbonate: Role of the carbonic anhydrase in the homologous system
2014
Abstract The calcareous spicules from sponges, e.g. from Sycon raphanus, are composed of almost pure calcium carbonate. In order to elucidate the formation of those structural skeletal elements, the function of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA), isolated from this species, during the in vitro calcium carbonate-based spicule formation, was investigated. It is shown that the recombinant sponge CA substantially accelerates calcium carbonate formation in the in vitro diffusion assay. A stoichiometric calculation revealed that the turnover rate of the sponge CA during the calcification process amounts to 25 CO2 s−1 × molecule CA−1. During this enzymatically driven process, initially pat-like pa…
New articulated protospongiid sponges from the early Cambrian Chengjiang biota
2015
Sponges are among the earliest diverging crown-group animals and widely regarded as the earliest biomineralizing animals. Indeed, unambiguous hexactine sponge spicules first occur in the lowermost Cambrian strata of the Fortunian Stage. Articulated sponge skeletons interpreted as hexactinellids and demosponges have been reported from Cambrian Stage 2–3 strata at multiple localities. Articulated sponge skeletons in the Chengjiang biota (Cambrian Stage 3), however, are dominated by forms interpreted as demosponges, despite the exceptional preservation in this biota. Here, we report new articulated sponge skeletons from the Chengjiang biota, including Paradiagoniella magna n. gen. n. sp. and P…
Biosilica aging: From enzyme-driven gelation via syneresis to chemical/biochemical hardening
2013
Abstract Background The distinguished property of the siliceous sponge spicules is their enzyme (silicatein)-catalyzed biosilica formation. The enzymatically formed, non-structured biosilica product undergoes a molding, syneresis, and hardening process to form the species-specifically shaped, hard structured skeletal spicules. Besides of silicatein, a silicatein-associated protein, silintaphin-2, is assumed to be involved in the process of biosilica formation in vivo. Methods Biosilica has been synthesized enzymatically and determined quantitatively. In addition, the subsequent hardening/aging steps have been followed by spectroscopic and electron microscopic analyses. Results The young spi…
Modelling genetic regulation of growth and form in a branching sponge
2008
We present a mathematical model of the genetic regulation controlling skeletogenesis and the influence of the physical environment on a branching sponge with accretive growth (e.g.Haliclona oculataorLubomirskia baikalensis). From previous work, it is known that high concentrations of silicate induce spicule formation and upregulate thesilicateingene. The upregulation of this gene activates locally the production of spicules in the sponge and the deposition of the skeleton. Furthermore, it is known that the expression of the geneIroquoisinduces the formation of an aquiferous system, consisting of exhalant and inhalant pores. We propose a model of the regulatory network controlling the separa…
Interaction of the retinoic acid signaling pathway with spicule formation in the marine sponge Suberites domuncula through activation of bone morphog…
2011
Abstract Background The formation of the spicules in siliceous sponges involves the formation of cylinder-like structures in the extraspicular space, composed of the enzyme silicatein and the calcium-dependent lectin. Scope of review Molecular cloning of the cDNAs (carotene dioxygenase, retinal dehydrogenase, and BMB-1 [bone morphogenic protein-1]) from the demosponge Suberites domuncula was performed. These tools were used to understand the retinoid metabolism in the animal by qRT-PCR, immunoblotting and TEM. Major conclusions We demonstrate that silintaphin-2, a silicatein-interacting protein, is processed from a longer-sized 15-kDa precursor to a truncated, shorter-sized 13 kDa calcium-b…
Isolation of the silicatein-α interactor silintaphin-2 by a novel solid-phase pull-down assay.
2011
The skeleton of siliceous sponges consists of amorphous biogenous silica (biosilica). Biosilica formation is driven enzymatically by means of silicatein(s). During this unique process of enzymatic polycondensation, skeletal elements (spicules) that enfold a central proteinaceous structure (axial filament), mainly comprising silicatein, are formed. However, only the concerted action of silicatein and other proteins can explain the genetically controlled diversity of spicular morphotypes, from simple rods with pointed ends to intricate structures with up to six rays. With the scaffold protein silintaphin-1, a first silicatein interactor that facilitates the formation of the axial filament and…
Morphology of Sponge Spicules: Silicatein a Structural Protein for Bio-Silica Formation
2010
Most forms of multicellular life have developed a calcium-based skeleton, while only a few specialized organisms complement their body plan with silica, such as sponges (phylum Porifera). However, the way in which sponges synthesize their silica is exceptional. They use an enzyme, silicatein, for the polymerization/polycondensation of silica, and thereby form their highly resistant and stabile massive siliceous skeletal elements (spicules). During this biomineralization process (i.e., biosilicification), hydrated amorphous silica is deposited within highly specialized sponge cells, ultimately resulting in structures that range in size from micrometers to meters. This peculiar phenomenon has…