Matsunaga Satoko, Sakai Ryuichi, Jimbo Mitsuru, Kamiya Hisao
Kitasato University School of Fisheries Sciences, Sanriku-cho, Ofunato, Iwate 022-0101, Japan.
Chembiochem. 2007 Sep 24;8(14):1729-35. doi: 10.1002/cbic.200700305.
Two distinct marine organisms, diatoms and sponges, deposit dissolved silicates to construct highly architectural and species-specific body supports. Several factors such as proteins, long-chain polyamines (LCPAs), or polypeptides modified with LCPAs are known to be involved in this process. The LCPAs contained in the silica walls of diatoms are thought to play pivotal roles in the silica deposition. In sponges, however, a protein called silicatein and several other proteins have been reported to be the factors involved in the silica deposition. However, no other factors involved in this process have been reported. We have identified the LCPAs from the marine sponge Axinyssa aculeata and present here some evidence that sponge-derived LCPAs can deposit silica and that the LCPA derivatives are associated with spicules. The results indicate a common chemistry between sponges and diatoms, the two major players in the biological circulation of silicon in the marine environment. A wide variety of organisms are known to utilize silica in their biological processes. Polyamines or other functional molecules might be involved, in combination with proteins, in their biosilicification process.
两种不同的海洋生物，硅藻和海绵，会沉积溶解的硅酸盐以构建高度结构化且具有物种特异性的身体支撑结构。已知蛋白质、长链多胺（LCPAs）或经LCPAs修饰的多肽等多种因素参与了这一过程。硅藻硅壁中所含的LCPAs被认为在硅沉积过程中起关键作用。然而，在海绵中，一种名为硅酸酶的蛋白质和其他几种蛋白质被报道是参与硅沉积的因素。然而，尚未报道该过程中涉及的其他因素。我们已经从海洋海绵酸刺沟瘤海鞘中鉴定出了LCPAs，并在此提供了一些证据，表明海绵衍生的LCPAs可以沉积硅，并且LCPA衍生物与骨针有关。结果表明，海绵和硅藻之间存在共同的化学作用，它们是海洋环境中硅生物循环的两个主要参与者。已知多种生物在其生物过程中利用硅。多胺或其他功能分子可能与蛋白质结合参与其生物硅化过程。
