title: Surviving Mass Extinctions through Biomineralized DNA.
abstract: Even in the worst of conditions, such as those which occurred during mass extinction events, life on Earth never totally stopped. Aggressive chemical and physical attacks able to sterilize or poison living organisms occurred repeatedly. Surprisingly, DNA was not degraded, denatured or modified to the point of losing the capability of transferring the genetic information to the next generations. After the events of mass extinction life was able to survive and thrive. DNA was passed on despite being an extremely fragile biomolecule. The potential implications of hydroxyapatite protection of DNA are discussed in this Concept article including how DNA acts as a template for hydroxyapatite (HAp) formation, how cell death can trigger biomineralization, and how DNA can be successfully released from HAp when the conditions are favorable for life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Development, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Management, B. Braun Surgical, S.A. Ctra. de Terrassa, 121, 08191 Rubí, Barcelona (Spain). pau.turon@bbraun.com.
authors.forename: Pau
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Turon
authors.affiliation: Departament d'Enginyeria Química, E.T.S. d'Enginyeria Industrial de Barcelona, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona. jordi.puiggalí@upc.edu.|Center for Research in Nano-Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Campus Sud, Edifici C', C/Pasqual i Vila s/n, Barcelona 08028 (Spain). jordi.puiggalí@upc.edu.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Puiggalí
authors.affiliation: Departament de Física Aplicada, EEI, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Av. Pla de la Massa, 8, 08700 Igualada (Spain).
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bertrán
authors.affiliation: Departament d'Enginyeria Química, E.T.S. d'Enginyeria Industrial de Barcelona, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona. carlos.aleman@upc.edu.|Center for Research in Nano-Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Campus Sud, Edifici C', C/Pasqual i Vila s/n, Barcelona 08028 (Spain). carlos.aleman@upc.edu.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alemán
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D017886:Durapatite / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA; D017886:Durapatite
keywords: DNA; biomineralization; hydroxyapatite; hydroxyolite; mass extinction