Carboxylated molecules regulate magnesium content of amorphous calcium carbonates during calcification.

ABSTRACT: With the realization that many calcified skeletons form by processes involving a precursor phase of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), a new paradigm for mineralization is emerging. There is evidence the Mg content in biogenic ACC is regulated by carboxylated (acidic) proteins and other macromolecules, but the physical basis for such a process is unknown. We test the hypothesis that ACC compositions express a systematic relationship to the chemistry of carboxyl-rich biomolecules. A series of inorganic control experiments were conducted to establish the dependence of Mg/Ca ratios in ACC on solution composition. We then determined the influence of a suite of simple carboxylated organic acids on Mg content. Molecules with a strong affinity for binding Ca compared with Mg promote the formation

SUBMITTER: Wang D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2799890 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature