title: Silicatein-mediated incorporation of titanium into spicules from the demosponge Suberites domuncula.
abstract: Primmorphs (a three-dimensional sponge primary cell culture system) have been revealed to be a cell/tissue nano-factory for the production of tailor-made hybrid nanostructures. Growth of primmorphs is stimulated by the presence of a titanium alkoxide precursor tolerating titania (TiO2) concentrations up to 250 microM. The presence and activity of silicatein in primmorphs has been analyzed by gel electrophoresis and Western blotting. Results of studies by scanning transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy have revealed silica and titania to be co-localized on nanosized spicules. Our findings suggest that the incorporation of titania into the nanosized spicule is enzymatically mediated via active silicatein in an orchestrated mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Physiological Chemistry, Department of Applied Molecular Biology, Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, 55099 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Filipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Natalio
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mugnaioli
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiens
authors.forename: Xiaohong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Heinz C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Muhammad Nawaz
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Tahir
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tremel
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kolb
authors.forename: Werner E G
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017348:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning Transmission; D049329:Nanostructures; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D047233:Suberites; D014025:Titanium
chemical_list: C009495:titanium dioxide; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D014025:Titanium; D002403:Cathepsins