Biomineralization and Biological Metal Accumulation

Biominerals are generated by the subtle interaction of biological organization and mineral growth. They belong both to the living and the inanimate world and as such their genesis is among the most intri­ guing and fundamental subjects in science. However, the conceptual and technical resources that are available in physical chemistry and in the biological sciences is often inadequate for the elucidation of the pro­ blems involved, and hence this field is particularly difficult to ex­ plore. This may be an important reason why fundamental research on bio­ mineralization mechanisms has traditionally been carried out by a com­ paratively small group of scientists. There are signs, however, that the situation is ripe for a change. Various meetings on biomineralization have been organized in the last few years, particularly in the medical sector. It is generally felt that further developments in the therapy of bone and tooth diseases will be largely dependent on an improved understanding of the fundamen­ tal underlying mechanisms of biomineralization.

Introduction: Biological Metal Accumulation and Biomineralization in a Geological Perspective.- I. Global Cycling and Biomineralization.- Gaia as seen Through the Atmosphere.- Microbial Systematics and a Gaian View of the Sediments.- Fine Structure of the Stratified Microbial Community at Laguna Figueroa, Baja California, Mexico.- The Influence of Biomineralization on the Composition of Seawater.- The Global Carbonate-Silicate Sedimentary System Some Feedback Relations.- Calcification and Atmospheric C02.- The Modern Distribution and Geological History of Calcium Carbonate Boring Microorganisms.- II. Aspects of Calcification.- The Possible Role of Mitochondria and Phosphocitrate in Biological Calcification.- A Comparison of the Roles of Calcium in Biomineralization and in Cytosolic Signalling.- Hormonal Regulation of Calcification, with Particular Reference to the Hormonal Control of Eggshell Formation in Birds and Shell Growth in Molluscs.- Partial Purification of a Hormone Dependent Calcium-Binding Protein from the Mantle Edge of the Snail Lymnaea Stagnalis.- Studies on the Constancy of the Value of the Ionic Product Ca2+ × CO32- in the Haemolymph of the Freshwater Snail Lymnaea Stagnalis.- Mineralization Reactions Involving Calcium Carbonates and Phosphates.- Problems in the Understanding of Biominerals.- A High Resolution Electron Microscopy Study of the Balance Organs of the Inner Ear.- Mineralization by Organisms and the Evolution of Biomineralization.- Organic Matrix in Calcified Exoskeletons.- Calcification of Gastropod Nacre.- Organic Matrices of Mollusc Shells.- Immunological Studies on Macromolecules from Invertebrate Shells-Recent and Fossil.- Methodological Aspects of the Ultrastructural Analysis of the Organic and Mineral Components in MolluscShells.- Biomineral Formation of Gastropods, in Comparison with That of Pelecypods.- Ultrastructural Evolution of Molluscan Nacre.- Bone and Tooth Formation. Insights into Mineralization Strategies.- A Systematic Approach to Some Fundamental Questions of Carbonate Calcification.- Calcification in Coccolithophorids.- Inhibition of CaC03 Precipitation by a Polysaccharide Associated with Coccoliths of Emiliania Huxleyi.- Calcification Rates, Photosynthesis and Light in Planktonic Foraminifera.- Stromatolites, Fossil and Recent: A Case History.- Early Stromatolite Lithification Organic Chemical Aspects.- The Role of Enamel Tubule and the Evolution of Mammalian Enamel.- Urinary Stone Formation as a Biomineralization Process.- The Influence of an Intense Fluoride Pretreatment on Remineralization of Enamel Lesions.- Microstructural Features of Teleost Otoliths.- III. Biological Accumulation of Metals other than Calcium.- Trace Elements as Probes of Biomineralization.- Structure of Granules in Helix Aspersa by EXAFS and other Physical Techniques.- Applications of Microincineration in Localising Biomineralized Inorganic Deposits in Sectioned Tissues.- Aspects of Silicification in Biological Systems.- High Resolution Electron Microscopy Studies of the Silica Lorica in the Choanoflagellate Stephanoeca Diplocostata Ellis.- A Bioinorganic View of the Biological Mineralization of Iron.- Plasma Ferritin in Polyplacophora and its Possible Role in the Biomineralization of Iron.- Mammalian Metallothionein: Evidence for Metal Thiolate Clusters.- Bacterial Interactions with Mineral Cations and Anions: Good Ions and Bad.- Microbial Oxidation and Reduction of Manganese and Iron.- An In Situ Method for Determining Microbial Manganese Oxidation Rates in Sediments.- Fe and Mn DepositingBacteria in Marine Suspended Macro-Particulates.- Microbial Role in Witwatersrand Gold Deposition.- Biological Accumulation of Some Heavy Metals Biotechnological Applications.- Closing Remarks.- List of Participants and Contributors.