Aragonite-Associated Mollusk Shell Protein Aggregates To Form Mesoscale “Smart” Hydrogels

Carbon isotopes in mollusk shell carbonates

Mollusk shells contain many isotopic clues about calcification physiology and environmental conditions at the time of shell formation. In this review, we use both published and unpublished data to discuss carbon isotopes in both bivalve and gastropod shell carbonates. Land snails construct their shells mainly from respired CO2, and shell δC reflects the local mix of C3 and C4 plants consumed. S...

The formation and mineralization of mollusk shell.

In the last years, the field of mollusk biomineralization has known a tremendous mutation. The most recent advances deal with the nanostructure of shell biominerals, and with the identification of several shell matrix proteins: on one hand, the complex hierarchical organization of shell biominerals has been deciphered in few models, like nacre. On the other hand, although proteins represent a m...

Synergistic Biomineralization Phenomena Created by a Combinatorial Nacre Protein Model System.

In the nacre or aragonite layer of the mollusk shell, proteomes that regulate both the early stages of nucleation and nano-to-mesoscale assembly of nacre tablets from mineral nanoparticle precursors exist. Several approaches have been developed to understand protein-associated mechanisms of nacre formation, yet we still lack insight into how protein ensembles or proteomes manage nucleation and ...

A Chiton Uses Aragonite Lenses to Form Images

Hundreds of ocelli are embedded in the dorsal shell plates of certain chitons. These ocelli each contain a pigment layer, retina, and lens, but it is unknown whether they provide chitons with spatial vision. It is also unclear whether chiton lenses are made from proteins, like nearly all biological lenses, or from some other material. Electron probe X-ray microanalysis and X-ray diffraction rev...

Kinetics of Smart Hydrogels