title: High ordered biomineralization induced by carbon nanoparticles in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus.
abstract: A surprising and unexpected biomineralization process was observed  during toxicological assessment of carbon nanoparticles on Paracentrotus lividus (sea urchin) pluteus larvae. The larvae activate a process of defense against external material, by incorporating the nanoparticles into microstructures of aragonite similarly to pearl oysters. Aiming at a better understanding of this phenomenon, the larvae were exposed to increasing concentrations of carbon nanoparticles and the biomineralization products were analyzed by electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. In order to evaluate the possible influence of Sp-CyP-1 expression on this biomineralization process by larvae, analyses of gene expression (Sp-CyP-1) and calcein labeling were performed. Overall, we report experimental evidence about the capability of carbon nanoparticles to induce an increment of Sp-CyP-1 expression with the consequent activation of a biomineralization process leading to the production of a new pearl-like biomaterial never previously observed in sea urchins.
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Laboratory of Physics Applied to Materials Science, Italy. daniela.manno@unisalento.it
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Manno
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carata
authors.forename: Bernadetta A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Tenuzzo
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Panzarini
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buccolieri
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Filippo
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008422:Materials Testing; D008903:Minerals / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000633:toxicity*; D047328:Paracentrotus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon