A New Gene Family Diagnostic for Intracellular Biomineralization of Amorphous Ca Carbonates by Cyanobacteria.

ABSTRACT: Cyanobacteria have massively contributed to carbonate deposition over the geological history. They are traditionally thought to biomineralize CaCO3 extracellularly as an indirect byproduct of photosynthesis. However, the recent discovery of freshwater cyanobacteria-forming intracellular amorphous calcium carbonates (iACC) challenges this view. Despite the geochemical interest of such a biomineralization process, its molecular mechanisms and evolutionary history remain elusive. Here, using comparative genomics, we identify a new gene (ccyA) and protein family (calcyanin) possibly associated with cyanobacterial iACC biomineralization. Proteins of the calcyanin family are composed of a conserved C-terminal domain, which likely adopts an original fold, and a variable N-terminal domain whose st

SUBMITTER: Benzerara K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8890360 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature