Bio-sintering processes in hexactinellid sponges: fusion of bio-silica in giant basal spicules from Monorhaphis chuni

J Struct Biol. 2009 Dec;168(3):548-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jsb.2009.08.003. Epub 2009 Aug 14.

Abstract

The two sponge classes, Hexactinellida and Demospongiae, comprise a skeleton that is composed of siliceous skeletal elements (spicules). Spicule growth proceeds by appositional layering of lamellae that consist of silica nanoparticles, which are synthesized via the sponge-specific enzyme silicatein. While in demosponges during maturation the lamellae consolidate to a solid rod, the lamellar organization of hexactinellid spicules largely persists. However, the innermost lamellae, near the spicule core, can also fuse to a solid axial cylinder. Similar to the fusion of siliceous nanoparticles and lamella, in several hexactinellid species individual spicules unify during sintering-like processes. Here, we study the different stages of a process that we termed bio-sintering, within the giant basal spicule (GBS) of Monorhaphis chuni. During this study, a major GBS protein component (27 kDa) was isolated and analyzed by MALDI-TOF-MS. The sequences were used to isolate and clone the encoding cDNA via degenerate primer PCR. Bioinformatic analyses revealed a significant sequence homology to silicatein. In addition, the native GBS protein was able to mediate bio-silica synthesis in vitro. We conclude that the syntheses of bio-silica in M. chuni, and the subsequent fusion of nanoparticles to lamellae, and finally to spicules, are enzymatically-driven by a silicatein-like protein. In addition, evidence is now presented that in hexactinellids those fusions involve sintering-like processes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animal Structures / anatomy & histology*
  • Animal Structures / chemistry*
  • Animal Structures / metabolism
  • Animal Structures / ultrastructure
  • Animals
  • Blotting, Northern
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Porifera / anatomy & histology*
  • Porifera / chemistry*
  • Porifera / metabolism
  • Porifera / ultrastructure
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemistry
  • Silicon Dioxide / metabolism*
  • Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization

Substances

  • Silicon Dioxide

Associated data

  • GENBANK/FN394978