title: Investigation of the role of ansocalcin in the biomineralization in goose eggshell matrix.
abstract: The role of proteins in biomineralization and the mechanism of eggshell formation are not well understood. We have isolated and purified the major protein, ansocalcin from goose eggshell matrix. The amino acid sequence study indicates that ansocalcin is homologous to the chicken eggshell protein, ovocleidin 17, and C-type lectins. Ansocalcin nucleates polycrystalline aggregates of calcite crystals in in vitro mineralization experiments. The polycrystalline aggregates obtained at higher concentration of ansocalcin appears to be similar to the crystals observed at the mamillary layer of the eggshell.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117 543.
authors.forename: Rajamani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lakshminarayanan
authors.forename: R Manjunatha
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Kini
authors.forename: Suresh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valiyaveettil
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000737:chemistry; D002845:Chromatography; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004528:Egg Shell / Q000737:chemistry*; D005777:Geese; D037102:Lectins; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D004527:Egg Proteins; D037102:Lectins; D002119:Calcium Carbonate