Kurzfassung

Silicon and carbon play a similar role in the biological formation of skeletal structures. In the past, biomineralization have been extensively studied in different organisms and plants, but the molecular mechanisms that regulate this process, which differs so much from one organism to the other, still needs to be elucidated. In particular, in both model organisms chosen for this study (red corals and sponges) biomineralization is enzymatically mediated. The understanding of the enzymatic...Silicon and carbon play a similar role in the biological formation of skeletal structures. In the past, biomineralization have been extensively studied in different organisms and plants, but the molecular mechanisms that regulate this process, which differs so much from one organism to the other, still needs to be elucidated. In particular, in both model organisms chosen for this study (red corals and sponges) biomineralization is enzymatically mediated. The understanding of the enzymatic regulation mechanisms behind silica and calcium carbonate deposition has a fundamental potential in the field of bio and nano-technology, with important applications in biomedicine. From the ecological point of view, corals and sponges represent a very significant part of the marine benthic fauna, on which climatic changes might produce important effects due to temperature changes, influencing also the biomineralization process.» weiterlesen» einklappen