The Influence of Silicateins on the Shape and Crystalline Habit of Silica Carbonate Biomorphs of Alkaline Earth Metals (Ca, Ba, Sr)

This contribution presents the effect of two ortholog enzymes from marine sponges called silicateins on formation silica carbonate biomorphs alkaline metals (Ca, Ba, Sr). In vivo, these participate in polymerization silica. Silicateins Tethya aurantia and Suberitis domuncula were produced recombinantly presented different degrees activity, as evidenced by their ability to cleave silyl ether-like bonds a model compound. Biomorphs are typically inorganic structures that show characteristic shapes resembling those biological such helices, leaves, flowers, disks or spheres. Irrespective concentration enzyme used, presence inhibited classic morphologies biomorphs, albeit extents. Thus, not only condensation activity but also its bind compounds is implicated inhibition process. The largest was observed for strontium barium leading spheres similar diatoms Radiolaria rather than classical non-symmetrical forms. Characterization samples using Raman spectroscopy showed silicatein did affect crystalline structure earth metal modify habit.