The Blue Crab Exoskeleton-A Model System for Studying the Control of Biomineralization

蓝蟹外骨骼——研究生物矿化控制的模型系统

• 批准号: 9807804
• 负责人: Robert Roer
• 金额: $ 24.69万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Wilmington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing grant
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-09-01 至 2001-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9807804&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Blue; Crab; Exoskeleton; Model; System

Mineralized structures are found in most groups of animals. Biominerals are associated with bones, teeth, sponge spicules, and shells of molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms to name but a few. Biomineralization is also associated with such pathological conditions as atherosclerosis, kidney stones and tumors. In most groups the minerals are salts of calcium and in all cases the minerals are associated with organic molecules. The organic molecules are involved in initiating, guiding and regulating the growth of the mineral crystals in all of these systems. These organic molecules are often proteins. Recently, Dr. Roer and others have found that some of these proteins associated with biomineralization have sugars attached to them and are referred to as glycoproteins. It is also becoming apparent that changes in the sugars associated with the glycoproteins may play a role in controlling biomineralization.He has chosen the exoskeleton of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, as a model system for studying the role of glycoproteins in controlling biomineralization. The crab is ideal for such studies, in large part, because crabs must molt in order to grow. In preparation for the molt, crabs form the outer layers of their new exoskeleton beneath the old one. The new shell must stay soft until the crab emerges from the old shell and expands. Only then does the new shell begin to harden. He thus has a tissue that is incapable of mineralizing at one point in time which then turns on mineralization within one to three hours after it molts. This phenomenon allows him to analyze the tissue in both states and understand the changes in the glycoproteins that are responsible for turning on mineralization. These results will have general application to other mineralizing tissues.

大多数动物群体都有矿化结构。 生物矿物质与骨骼、牙齿、海绵骨针以及软体动物、甲壳动物和棘皮动物的外壳有关，仅举几例。 生物矿化还与动脉粥样硬化、肾结石和肿瘤等病理状况有关。 在大多数组中，矿物质是钙盐，并且在所有情况下矿物质都与有机分子相关。 有机分子参与所有这些系统中矿物晶体生长的启动、引导和调节。 这些有机分子通常是蛋白质。 最近，Roer 博士和其他人发现，其中一些与生物矿化相关的蛋白质附着有糖，被称为糖蛋白。 与糖蛋白相关的糖的变化可能在控制生物矿化中发挥作用也变得越来越明显。他选择了蓝蟹（Callinectes sapidus）的外骨骼作为研究糖蛋白在控制生物矿化中的作用的模型系统。 螃蟹是此类研究的理想选择，很大程度上是因为螃蟹必须蜕皮才能生长。 为了准备蜕皮，螃蟹会在旧外骨骼的下面形成新外骨骼的外层。 新壳必须保持柔软，直到螃蟹从旧壳中出来并膨胀。只有这样，新的外壳才会开始变硬。 因此，他的组织在某个时间点无法矿化，但在蜕皮后一到三个小时内就会开始矿化。 这种现象使他能够分析两种状态下的组织，并了解负责开启矿化的糖蛋白的变化。这些结果将普遍应用于其他矿化组织。