Proteomic analysis of skeletal organic matrix from the stony coral Stylophora pistillata

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Mar 5;110(10):3788-93. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1301419110. Epub 2013 Feb 19.

Abstract

It has long been recognized that a suite of proteins exists in coral skeletons that is critical for the oriented precipitation of calcium carbonate crystals, yet these proteins remain poorly characterized. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of proteins extracted from the cell-free skeleton of the hermatypic coral, Stylophora pistillata, combined with a draft genome assembly from the cnidarian host cells of the same species, we identified 36 coral skeletal organic matrix proteins. The proteome of the coral skeleton contains an assemblage of adhesion and structural proteins as well as two highly acidic proteins that may constitute a unique coral skeletal organic matrix protein subfamily. We compared the 36 skeletal organic matrix protein sequences to genome and transcriptome data from three other corals, three additional invertebrates, one vertebrate, and three single-celled organisms. This work represents a unique extensive proteomic analysis of biomineralization-related proteins in corals from which we identify a biomineralization "toolkit," an organic scaffold upon which aragonite crystals can be deposited in specific orientations to form a phenotypically identifiable structure.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Anthozoa / genetics*
  • Anthozoa / metabolism*
  • Cadherins / genetics
  • Cadherins / metabolism
  • Calcium Carbonate / metabolism
  • Carbonic Anhydrases / genetics
  • Carbonic Anhydrases / metabolism
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Minerals / metabolism
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Proteome / genetics
  • Proteome / metabolism
  • Proteomics
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

  • Cadherins
  • Minerals
  • Proteome
  • Carbonic Anhydrases
  • Calcium Carbonate