The Evolution of Biomineralization through the Co-Option of Organic Scaffold Forming Networks
Biomineralization is the process in which organisms use minerals to generate hard structures like teeth, skeletons and shells. Biomineralization is proposed to have evolved independently in different phyla through the co-option of pre-existing developmental programs. Comparing the gene regulatory ne...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Cells |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/11/4/595 |
| _version_ | 1797481892957650944 |
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| author | Smadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon |
| author_facet | Smadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon |
| author_sort | Smadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Biomineralization is the process in which organisms use minerals to generate hard structures like teeth, skeletons and shells. Biomineralization is proposed to have evolved independently in different phyla through the co-option of pre-existing developmental programs. Comparing the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that drive biomineralization in different species could illuminate the molecular evolution of biomineralization. Skeletogenesis in the sea urchin embryo was extensively studied and the underlying GRN shows high conservation within echinoderms, larval and adult skeletogenesis. The organic scaffold in which the calcite skeletal elements form in echinoderms is a tubular compartment generated by the syncytial skeletogenic cells. This is strictly different than the organic cartilaginous scaffold that vertebrates mineralize with hydroxyapatite to make their bones. Here I compare the GRNs that drive biomineralization and tubulogenesis in echinoderms and in vertebrates. The GRN that drives skeletogenesis in the sea urchin embryo shows little similarity to the GRN that drives bone formation and high resemblance to the GRN that drives vertebrates’ vascular tubulogenesis. On the other hand, vertebrates’ bone-GRNs show high similarity to the GRNs that operate in the cells that generate the cartilage-like tissues of basal chordate and invertebrates that do not produce mineralized tissue. These comparisons suggest that biomineralization in deuterostomes evolved through the phylum specific co-option of GRNs that control distinct organic scaffolds to mineralization. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:21:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-50827864304a4c708c7771d7fcc83c9e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:21:04Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cells |
| spelling | doaj.art-50827864304a4c708c7771d7fcc83c9e2023-11-23T19:13:48ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092022-02-0111459510.3390/cells11040595The Evolution of Biomineralization through the Co-Option of Organic Scaffold Forming NetworksSmadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon0Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, IsraelBiomineralization is the process in which organisms use minerals to generate hard structures like teeth, skeletons and shells. Biomineralization is proposed to have evolved independently in different phyla through the co-option of pre-existing developmental programs. Comparing the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that drive biomineralization in different species could illuminate the molecular evolution of biomineralization. Skeletogenesis in the sea urchin embryo was extensively studied and the underlying GRN shows high conservation within echinoderms, larval and adult skeletogenesis. The organic scaffold in which the calcite skeletal elements form in echinoderms is a tubular compartment generated by the syncytial skeletogenic cells. This is strictly different than the organic cartilaginous scaffold that vertebrates mineralize with hydroxyapatite to make their bones. Here I compare the GRNs that drive biomineralization and tubulogenesis in echinoderms and in vertebrates. The GRN that drives skeletogenesis in the sea urchin embryo shows little similarity to the GRN that drives bone formation and high resemblance to the GRN that drives vertebrates’ vascular tubulogenesis. On the other hand, vertebrates’ bone-GRNs show high similarity to the GRNs that operate in the cells that generate the cartilage-like tissues of basal chordate and invertebrates that do not produce mineralized tissue. These comparisons suggest that biomineralization in deuterostomes evolved through the phylum specific co-option of GRNs that control distinct organic scaffolds to mineralization.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/11/4/595gene regulatory networksevolutionbiomineralizationtubulogenesisskeletogenesisvascularization |
| spellingShingle | Smadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon The Evolution of Biomineralization through the Co-Option of Organic Scaffold Forming Networks Cells gene regulatory networks evolution biomineralization tubulogenesis skeletogenesis vascularization |
| title | The Evolution of Biomineralization through the Co-Option of Organic Scaffold Forming Networks |
| title_full | The Evolution of Biomineralization through the Co-Option of Organic Scaffold Forming Networks |
| title_fullStr | The Evolution of Biomineralization through the Co-Option of Organic Scaffold Forming Networks |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Evolution of Biomineralization through the Co-Option of Organic Scaffold Forming Networks |
| title_short | The Evolution of Biomineralization through the Co-Option of Organic Scaffold Forming Networks |
| title_sort | evolution of biomineralization through the co option of organic scaffold forming networks |
| topic | gene regulatory networks evolution biomineralization tubulogenesis skeletogenesis vascularization |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/11/4/595 |
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