title: Isolation and identification of chitin in the black coral Parantipathes larix (Anthozoa: Cnidaria).
abstract: Until now, there is a lack of knowledge about the presence of chitin in numerous representatives of corals (Cnidaria). However, investigations concerning the chitin-based skeletal organization in different coral taxa are significant from biochemical, structural, developmental, ecological and evolutionary points of view. In this paper, we present a thorough screening for the presence of chitin within the skeletal formations of a poorly investigated Mediterranean black coral, Parantipathes larix (Esper, 1792), as a typical representative of the Schizopathidae family. Using a wide array variety of techniques ((13)C solid state NMR, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman, NEXAFS, Morgan-Elson assay and Calcofluor White Staining), we unambiguously show for the first time that chitin is an important component within the skeletal stalks as well as pinnules of this coral.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento per lo Studio del Territorio e delle sue Risorse, Università di Genova, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Marzia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bo
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bavestrello
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kurek
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paasch
authors.forename: Eike
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Born
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.forename: Allison L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Stelling
authors.forename: Viktor N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Sivkov
authors.forename: Olga V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Petrova
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vyalikh
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kummer
authors.forename: Serguei L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Molodtsov
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ehrlich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002686:Chitin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002688:Chitinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002686:Chitin; D002688:Chitinases