What is it about?

Chitin is an important polymer in the biological system. We have shown for the first time that chitin can form mineral in marine organisms (e.g., coralline algae) through active involvement in the calcification process. This was previously thought this biopolymer has no activity in the biomineralization process. Because chitin is insoluble in water so the experiment was impossible. We developed a new tool to make soluble and find the functional properties in the marine ecosystem.

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Why is it important?

Our findings show that the chitin takes a key role in the process of mineral crystallization in marine organisms. This is important in crystal formation in marine ecosystem, to anticipate crystal packing and engineer crystals to exhibit targeted structures and properties in a living organism.

Perspectives

Lead the team for the experiment and writing this paper was a great pleasure as it has co-authors with whom I have had long collaborations. This research also leads to predict future response to climate change and could have a huge impact on the biomineralization process of mineral forming marine organisms.

Dr Azizur Rahman

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This page is a summary of: The role of chitin-rich skeletal organic matrix on the crystallization of calcium carbonate in the crustose coralline alga Leptophytum foecundum, Scientific Reports, August 2019, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47785-2.
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