Congratulations to prof. Andrzej Sikora and other co-authors of the publication of the work "Fish Otolith Matrix Macromolecule-64 (OMM-64) and Its Role in Calcium Carbonate Biomineralization"  in the renowned Crystal Growth and Design (IF = 4.1). We wish everyone further scientific successes.

Fish Otolith Matrix Macromolecule-64 (OMM-64) and Its Role in Calcium Carbonate Biomineralization

Monika Poznar, Jarosław Stolarski, Andrzej Sikora, Maciej Mazur, Joanna Olesiak-Ban´ska, Katarzyna Brach, Andrzej Oz˙yhar, Piotr Dobryszycki

The inner ear of the rainbow trout contains biominerals called otoliths that are composed of calcium carbonate crystals and a protein organic matrix. The organic matrix macromolecule-64 (OMM-64) is an intrinsically disordered protein associated with high-molecular-weight aggregates. In this study, through a series of bioinspired mineralization experiments, we have determined that OMM-64 affects the size and shape of CaCO3 crystals and stiffens the crystals’ surfaces. OMM-64 serves as a template for precipitating the inorganic phase, which causes greater flexibility of the crystals, promotes crystal nucleation, and in the presence of Mg2+ ions, partially inhibits the formation of aragonite. This latter function appears to be a crucial factor in phase selection. The accumulation of fluorescence in the central part of the crystal suggests the participation of OMM-64 in the initial stages of crystallization and its accumulation in the crystallization nucleus.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.0c00413