What is the molecular mechanism of silicatein to produce silicon?
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Silicatein is an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of silica from a monomeric precursor. The proposed model suggests that silicatein forms reactive cyclic silicic acid species, such as trisiloxane rings and higher-membered siloxane rings, which promote the polycondensation reaction of silica formation . The ability of silicatein to polymerize silicon has also been observed in a marine sponge's cathepsin enzyme called LoCath, which forms pure silicon oxide crystals . The use of well-expressed and highly-active silicatein from natural sources, as well as silicatein fusion proteins, has been explored for the synthesis of amorphous silicon dioxide, siloxanes, and modifications of these compounds . Understanding the molecular mechanism of silicatein and cathepsin will contribute to the knowledge of biosilification processes and may have potential biotechnological applications for silicon polymerization .
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51 Citations | The paper proposes a new model for the catalytic mechanism of silicatein, suggesting that it forms reactive cyclic silicic acid species (trisiloxane rings and higher-membered siloxane rings) which promote silica polycondensation. |
5 Citations | The paper does not provide information on the molecular mechanism of silicatein to produce silicon. |
9 Citations | The provided paper is about the investigation of silicon carbide oxidation mechanism using ReaxFF molecular dynamics simulation. It does not mention anything about the molecular mechanism of silicatein to produce silicon. |
Patent 28 Jul 2000 1 Citations | The paper does not provide information on the molecular mechanism of silicatein to produce silicon. |
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