Biosilica aging: From enzyme-driven gelation via syneresis to chemical/biochemical hardening

• Published in: Biochimica et biophysica acta Vol. 1830; no. 6; pp. 3437 - 3446
• Main Authors: Wang, Xiaohong, Schröder, Heinz C., Schloßmacher, Ute, Jiang, Lei, Korzhev, Michael, Müller, Werner E.G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.06.2013
• Subjects: Aging of (bio)silica; Animals; aspartic acid; Biosilica; cations; cell aggregates; electron microscopy; gelation; Glass; glutamic acid; polymerization; potassium; silica; Silicatein; Siliceous sponge spicule; Silintaphin-2; sodium; spectroscopy; Suberites - chemistry; Suberites - enzymology; Aging of (bio)silica; Biosilica; Silintaphin-2; Siliceous sponge spicule; Silicatein

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 s...