Journal ArticleDOI
An electron microscope study of the formation of the nacreous layer in the shell of certain bivalve molluscs.
TLDR
An electron-microscopic study was made of nacreous shell growth in several species of marine molluscs as discussed by the authors, showing that the first step in crystal formation is the "polymerization" of part of the pallial fluid to form lamellae parallel to the surface of the epithelium.Abstract:
An electron-microscopic study was made of nacreous shell growth in several species of marine molluscs. Studies of sections of mantle-shell preparations show that the first step in crystal formation is the “polymerization” of part of the pallial fluid to form lamellae parallel to the surface of the epithelium. These lamellae form compartments enclosing a modified apallial fluid. Initiation of crystals occurs in these compartments in contact with a crystal in an adjacent layer. During crystal growth the organic matrix present in the compartment is displaced by the growing surface of the crystal. When growth is complete the crystal is entirely enveloped by a delicate organic sheath. These studies show that the pallial fluid with its organic constituents is responsible for supplying a matrix or substrate for crystal initiation and growth. It serves as a regulatory device for guiding the orderly growth and arrangement of crystals and, further, it may participate in the induction of new crystals. The formation of compartments during shell growth accounts for the uniform thickness, preferred exhibited orientation and mineralogy of the crystals as well as other features exhibited by the mature nacre.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Molecular tectonics in biomineralization and biomimetic materials chemistry
TL;DR: The basic constructional processes of biomineralization (supramolecular pre-organization, interfacial molecular recognition (templating) and cellular processing) can provide useful archetypes for molecular-scale building, or "molecular tectonics" in inorganic materials chemistry.
Journal ArticleDOI
Biological materials: Functional adaptations and bioinspired designs
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conduct an analysis connecting the structure (nano, micro, meso, and macro) to the mechanical properties important for a specific function, and address how biological systems respond and adapt to external mechanical stimuli.
Journal ArticleDOI
Innovative materials processing strategies: a biomimetic approach
Arthur H. Heuer,David J. Fink,Vincent J. Laraia,José Luis Arias,Paul Calvert,Kevin Kendall,Gary L. Messing,John Blackwell,P. C. Rieke,David H. Thompson,A. P. Wheeler,Arthur Veis,Arnold I. Caplan +12 more
TL;DR: Substantial progress has been made in the understanding of how biomineralization occurs, and the first steps are now being taken to exploit the basic principles involved.
Book ChapterDOI
Molluscan shell proteins: primary structure, origin, and evolution.
TL;DR: The extracellular calcifying shell matrix appears as a whole integrated system, which regulates protein-mineral and protein-protein interactions as well as feedback interactions between the biominerals and the calcifying epithelium that synthesized them.
Journal ArticleDOI
Structure of the nacreous organic matrix of a bivalve mollusk shell examined in the hydrated state using cryo-TEM.
TL;DR: This work suggests that at least prior to mineralization the silk is in the form of a hydrated gel, which significantly changes previous models of the matrix structure and hence hypotheses pertaining to the mechanisms by which mineral formation occurs.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Studies on shell formation. xi. crystal-matrix relationships in the inner layers of mollusk shells.
TL;DR: Details of crystal growth in the calcitostracum of Crassostrea virginica have been studied with the purpose of analyzing the formation of the overlapping rows of oriented tabular crystals characteristic of this part of the shell.
Journal ArticleDOI
Topography of the organic components in mother-of-pearl
TL;DR: The present results support former conclusions with regard to the existence of taxonomic differences between Cephalopods, Gastropods, and Pelecypods in the morphological organization of the organic phase within mother-of-pearl.
Journal ArticleDOI
Calcification in marine molluscs
Gerrit Bevelander,Paul Benzer +1 more
TL;DR: Modification of certain constituents of sea water results in the production of a shell partially or completely lacking in mineral content.
Journal ArticleDOI
Observations on the Non-calcareous Component of the Shell of the Lamellibranchia
TL;DR: It is suggested that the modifications shown by she protein of the inner ligament layer, which is characterized by a high content of proline and methionine, are correlated with the specialized function of this region of the shell.
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