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Chua JQI, Christensen TEK, Palle J, Wittig NK, Grünewald TA, Garrevoet J, Spiers KM, Castillo-Michel H, Schramm A, Chien WL, Sobota RM, Birkedal H, Miserez A. Biomineralization of mantis shrimp dactyl club following molting: Apatite formation and brominated organic components. Acta Biomater 2023; 170:479-495. [PMID: 37659728 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.08.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
The stomatopod Odontodactylus scyllarus uses weaponized club-like appendages to attack its prey. These clubs are made of apatite, chitin, amorphous calcium carbonate, and amorphous calcium phosphate organized in a highly hierarchical structure with multiple regions and layers. We follow the development of the biomineralized club as a function of time using clubs harvested at specific times since molting. The clubs are investigated using a broad suite of techniques to unravel the biomineralization history of the clubs. Nano focus synchrotron x-ray diffraction and x-ray fluorescence experiments reveal that the club structure is more organized with more sub-regions than previously thought. The recently discovered impact surface has crystallites in a different size and orientation than those in the impact region. The crystal unit cell parameters vary to a large degree across individual samples, which indicates a spatial variation in the degree of chemical substitution. Energy dispersive spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy show that this variation cannot be explained by carbonation and fluoridation of the lattice alone. X-ray fluorescence and mass spectroscopy show that the impact surface is coated with a thin membrane rich in bromine that forms at very initial stages of club formation. Proteomic studies show that a fraction of the club mineralization protein-1 has brominated tyrosine suggesting that bromination of club proteins at the club surface is an integral component of the club design. Taken together, the data unravel the spatio-temporal changes in biomineral structure during club formation. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Mantis shrimp hunt using club-like appendages that contain apatite, chitin, amorphous calcium carbonate, and amorphous calcium phosphate ordered in a highly hierarchical structure. To understand the formation process of the club we analyze clubs harvested at specific times since molting thereby constructing a club formation map. By combining several methods ranging from position resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction to proteomics, we reveal that clubs form from an organic membrane with brominated protein and that crystalline apatite phases are present from the very onset of club formation and grow in relative importance over time. This reveals a complex biomineralization process leading to these fascinating biomineralized tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Qing Isaiah Chua
- Biological and Biomimetic Materials Laboratory, Center for Sustainable Materials (SusMat), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore
| | - Thorbjørn Erik Køppen Christensen
- Center for Integrated Materials Research, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark; Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Jonas Palle
- Center for Integrated Materials Research, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Nina Kølln Wittig
- Center for Integrated Materials Research, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Tilman A Grünewald
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Avenue des Martyrs 71, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Jan Garrevoet
- Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kathryn M Spiers
- Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hiram Castillo-Michel
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Avenue des Martyrs 71, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Andreas Schramm
- Department of Biology, Section for Microbiology and Center for Electromicrobiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DK-8000, Denmark
| | - Wang Loo Chien
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Radoslaw M Sobota
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Henrik Birkedal
- Center for Integrated Materials Research, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Ali Miserez
- Biological and Biomimetic Materials Laboratory, Center for Sustainable Materials (SusMat), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore; School of Biological Sciences, NTU, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
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Christensen TEK, Chua JQI, Wittig NK, Jørgensen MRV, Kantor I, Thomsen JS, Miserez A, Birkedal H. Flexible design in the stomatopod dactyl club. IUCRJ 2023; 10:288-296. [PMID: 36912686 PMCID: PMC10161772 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252523002075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The stomatopod is a fascinating animal that uses its weaponized appendage dactyl clubs for breaking mollusc shells. Dactyl clubs are a well studied example of biomineralized hierarchical structures. Most research has focused on the regions close to the action, namely the impact region and surface composed of chitin and apatite crystallites. Further away from the site of impact, the club has lower mineralization and more amorphous phases; these areas have not been as actively studied as their highly mineralized counterparts. This work focuses on the side of the club, in what is known as the periodic and striated regions. A combination of laboratory micro-computed tomography, synchrotron X-ray diffraction mapping and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence mapping has shown that the mineral in this region undergoes the transition from an amorphous to a crystalline phase in some, but not all, clubs. This means that this side region can be mineralized by either an amorphous phase, calcite crystallites or a mixture of both. It was found that when larger calcite crystallites form, they are organized (textured) with respect to the chitin present in this biocomposite. This suggests that chitin may serve as a template for crystallization when the side of the club is fully mineralized. Further, calcite crystallites were found to form as early as 1 week after moulting of the club. This suggests that the side of the club is designed with a significant safety margin that allows for a variety of phases, i.e. the club can function independently of whether the side region has a crystalline or amorphous mineral phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorbjørn Erik Køppen Christensen
- Center for Integrated Materials Research (iMAT), Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, 14 Gustav Wieds Vej, Aarhus C. 8000, Denmark
| | - Jia Qing Isaiah Chua
- Biological and Biomimetic Materials Laboratory, Center for Sustainable Materials (SusMat), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore
| | - Nina Kølln Wittig
- Center for Integrated Materials Research (iMAT), Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, 14 Gustav Wieds Vej, Aarhus C. 8000, Denmark
| | - Mads Ry Vogel Jørgensen
- Center for Integrated Materials Research (iMAT), Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, 14 Gustav Wieds Vej, Aarhus C. 8000, Denmark
| | | | - Jesper Skovhus Thomsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 3, Aarhus C. 8000, Denmark
| | - Ali Miserez
- Biological and Biomimetic Materials Laboratory, Center for Sustainable Materials (SusMat), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore
| | - Henrik Birkedal
- Center for Integrated Materials Research (iMAT), Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, 14 Gustav Wieds Vej, Aarhus C. 8000, Denmark
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