Hydrobiological Institute, Naum Ohridski 50, 6000 Ohrid, Macedonia.
Hydrobiological Institute, Naum Ohridski 50, 6000 Ohrid, Macedonia; PHO BIOMED LAB, Vancho Pitosheski 19 a, 6000 Ohrid, Macedonia.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2020 Nov 1;162:1187-1194. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.06.247. Epub 2020 Jun 29.
Studies on the identification, properties and function of chitin in sponges (Porifera), which are recognized as the first multicellular organisms on Earth, continue to be of fundamental scientific interest. The occurrence of chitin has so far been reported in 21 marine sponge species and only in two inhabiting fresh water. In this study, we present the discovery of α-chitin in the endemic demosponge Ochridaspongia rotunda, found in Lake Ohrid, which dates from the Tertiary. The presence of chitin in this species was confirmed using special staining, a chitinase test, FTIR, Raman and NEXAFS spectroscopy, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). In contrast to the case of marine sponges, chitin in O. rotunda has been found only within its holdfast, suggesting a role of chitin in the attachment of the sponge to the hard substratum. Isolated fibrous matter strongly resemble the shape and size of the sponge holdfast with membrane-like structure.
对被认为是地球上最早的多细胞生物的海绵（多孔动物门）中的几丁质的鉴定、性质和功能的研究仍然具有基础科学意义。迄今为止，已在 21 种海洋海绵物种中报道了几丁质的存在，而仅在两种淡水海绵中存在。在这项研究中，我们发现了存在于第三纪的奥赫里德湖特有淡水海绵 Ochridaspongia rotunda 中的 α-几丁质。使用特殊染色、几丁质酶测试、FTIR、拉曼和 NEXAFS 光谱以及电喷雾电离质谱（ESI-MS）证实了该物种中几丁质的存在。与海洋海绵的情况不同，奥氏海绵中的几丁质仅存在于其固着器内，这表明几丁质在海绵附着在硬底质上的过程中发挥了作用。分离出的纤维状物质在形状和大小上与海绵固着器非常相似，具有膜状结构。
