Biomineralization Within Vesicles: The Calcite of Coccoliths

Young, Jeremy R.

doi:10.2113/0540189

Cited by 170 publications

(136 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…In particular, the calcium carbonate shells of the major pelagic calcifiers -coccolithophores and foraminifera -constitute an archive that extends for tens of millions of years (Bown and Pearson, 2009;Hamilton, 1953). Coccolithophores are surrounded by a sphere (termed coccosphere) of interlocking calcareous platelets, the coccoliths which consist primarily of a radial array of complexly shaped crystals of calcite (Young et al, 1992(Young et al, , 1999Young and Henriksen, 2003). Both the chemical composition of coccoliths and the morphology of the coccosphere as well as the coccoliths provide information about physiological parameters such as growth and calcification rate at different times in the geological past (Stoll and Schrag, 2000;Gibbs et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insight into <i>Emiliania huxleyi</i> coccospheres by focused ion beam sectioning

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Coccospheres of a cultured Emiliania huxleyi clone were sampled in the exponential growth phase and sectioned using a focused ion beam microscope. An average of 69 sections and the corresponding secondary electron micrographs per coccosphere provided detailed information on coccosphere architecture. The coccospheres feature 2-3 layers on average and 20 coccoliths per cell, of which only 15 can be seen in conventional scanning electron micrographs. The outer coccosphere diameter was positively correlated with the number of coccolith layers. By contrast, the inner coccosphere diameter (around 4.36 µm), and hence the cell diameter, was quasi-constant. Coccoliths were not evenly distributed across the coccosphere, resulting more often than not in one part of the coccosphere displaying more coccolith layers than the other. The architectural data allowed for the calculation of the PIC / POC ratio, the density and the sinking velocity of individual cells. The correlation of these parameters has implications for the ongoing debate on the function of coccoliths.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insight into <i>Emiliania huxleyi</i> coccospheres by focused ion beam sectioning

et al. 2015

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“…Food and/or the aqueous medium in which the organism lives are the sources of ions (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). The ion transport pathways can be complex and involve cells with specific channels and/or pumps in their membranes, direct communication between cells, transport into vesicles within cells, into cavities with body fluids and, in the case of certain animals, transport through the vasculature (1,(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9). The ions are often concentrated inside vesicles where they precipitate to form highly disordered mineral phases (10)(11)(12)(13)(14).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Calcium transport into the cells of the sea urchin larva in relation to spicule formation

Vidavsky

Addadi

Schertel

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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We investigated the manner in which the sea urchin larva takes up calcium from its body cavity into the primary mesenchymal cells (PMCs) that are responsible for spicule formation. We used the membrane-impermeable fluorescent dye calcein and alexa-dextran, with or without a calcium channel inhibitor, and imaged the larvae in vivo with selective-plane illumination microscopy. Both fluorescent molecules are taken up from the body cavity into the PMCs and ectoderm cells, where the two labels are predominantly colocalized in particles, whereas the calcium-binding calcein label is mainly excluded from the endoderm and is concentrated in the spicules. The presence of vesicles and vacuoles inside the PMCs that have openings through the plasma membrane directly to the body cavity was documented using high-resolution cryo-focused ion beam-SEM serial imaging. Some of the vesicles and vacuoles are interconnected to form large networks. We suggest that these vacuolar networks are involved in direct sea water uptake. We conclude that the calcium pathway from the body cavity into cells involves nonspecific endocytosis of sea water with its calcium.

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“…There have been credible attempts also at fabricating dentine microstructures [22] and acellular bone equivalents [23][24][25][26]. Unfulfilled because only a few specified model organisms such as: choanoflagellates [27], radiolarians [27], foraminiferans, diatoms [27] and coccolithophores [28,29], Porifera (marine sponges) [30], Strongylocentrotus species (sea urchins), sand dollars (Scaphechinus mirabilis) [31], sea stars (Pisaster giganteus) [32] and Acantharia [33], representing a fraction of the total number of mineralizing organisms that have been studied to a level of detail of how the biomineral ions are acquired from the environment, confined, concentrated, safely transported, deposited, patterned, densified and displayed. This pathway of information is required for a smooth translation into a simulant.…”

Section: Evolution From Morphogenesis To Biomimetic Morphosynthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The enterprise of making materials akin to natural counterparts is learnt from a breadth of knowledge about the processes of mineralization in many different living organisms both extant and sometimes fossilized [36]. The natural archetypes on which to carry through mimicry are simple in complexity and include: Foraminifera, coccolithophores and bacterial threads [29,37,38]. These natural inorganic formations are confined to two levels of hierarchy and usually lack an intrinsic organic component and a genetic and metabolic code of autonomous instruction [39].…”

Section: Biomineralization Understandingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calcifying tissue regeneration via biomimetic materials chemistry

Green

Goto

Kim

et al. 2014

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Materials chemistry is making a fundamental impact in regenerative sciences providing many platforms for tissue development. However, there is a surprising paucity of replacements that accurately mimic the structure and function of the structural fabric of tissues or promote faithful tissue reconstruction. Methodologies in biomimetic materials chemistry have shown promise in replicating morphologies, architectures and functional building blocks of acellular mineralized tissues dentine, enamel and bone or that can be used to fully regenerate them with integrated cell populations. Biomimetic materials chemistry encompasses the two processes of crystal formation and mineralization of crystals into inorganic formations on organic templates. This review will revisit the successes of biomimetics materials chemistry in regenerative medicine, including coccolithophore simulants able to promote in vivo bone formation. In-depth knowledge of biomineralization throughout evolution informs the biomimetic materials chemist of the most effective techniques for regenerative framework construction exemplified via exploitation of liquid crystals (LCs) and complex self-organizing media. Therefore, a new innovative direction would be to create chemical environments that perform reaction–diffusion exchanges as the basis for building complex biomimetic inorganic structures. This has evolved widely in biology, as have LCs, serving as self-organizing templates in pattern formation of structural biomaterials. For instance, a study is highlighted in which artificially fabricated chiral LCs, made from bacteriophages are transformed into a faithful copy of enamel. While chemical-based strategies are highly promising at creating new biomimetic structures there are limits to the degree of complexity that can be generated. Thus, there may be good reason to implement living or artificial cells in ‘morphosynthesis’ of complex inorganic constructs. In the future, cellular construction is probably key to instruct building of ultimate biomimetic hierarchies with a totality of functions.

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Biomineralization Within Vesicles: The Calcite of Coccoliths

Cited by 170 publications

References 51 publications

Insight into <i>Emiliania huxleyi</i> coccospheres by focused ion beam sectioning

Insight into <i>Emiliania huxleyi</i> coccospheres by focused ion beam sectioning

Calcium transport into the cells of the sea urchin larva in relation to spicule formation

Calcifying tissue regeneration via biomimetic materials chemistry

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Biomineralization Within Vesicles: The Calcite of Coccoliths

Cited by 170 publications

References 51 publications

Insight into &lt;i&gt;Emiliania huxleyi&lt;/i&gt; coccospheres by focused ion beam sectioning

Insight into &lt;i&gt;Emiliania huxleyi&lt;/i&gt; coccospheres by focused ion beam sectioning

Calcium transport into the cells of the sea urchin larva in relation to spicule formation

Calcifying tissue regeneration via biomimetic materials chemistry

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Insight into <i>Emiliania huxleyi</i> coccospheres by focused ion beam sectioning

Insight into <i>Emiliania huxleyi</i> coccospheres by focused ion beam sectioning