Biosilica Electrically‐Insulating Layers by Soft Lithography‐Assisted Biomineralisation with Recombinant Silicatein

Polini, Alessandro; Pagliara, Stefano; Camposeo, Andrea; Biasco, Adriana; Schröder, Heinz C.; Müller, Wernér E.G.; Pisignano, Dario

doi:10.1002/adma.201102691

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…1), can be docked in the active centre of silicatein molecules and catalyzed for the silica polycondensation. This result, in agreement with previous experimental results showing this enzymatic activity well preserved even after successful immobilization on different substrates93738, states the possibility to use recombinant silicatein-α instead of the full protein, i.e. without sacrificing marine or freshwater living organisms.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Controlling biomineralisation reactions would allow to carry out the syntheses of inorganic materials in-vitro , possibly near room temperature, in aqueous solution, and at or near neutral pH, namely in a “green” way alternative to traditional materials-processing techniques. Furthermore, the exploitation of polymers, proteins and peptides for biomineralisation may enable a fine control on size, shape, and structure of the inorganic products45678, important for their incorporation in devices9.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Optical properties of in-vitro biomineralised silica

Polini

Pagliara

Camposeo

et al. 2012

Sci Rep

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Silicon is the second most common element on the Earth's crust and its oxide (SiO2) the most abundant mineral. Silica and silicates are widely used in medicine and industry as well as in micro- and nano-optics and electronics. However, the fabrication of glass fibres and components requires high temperature and non-physiological conditions, in contrast to biosilica structures in animals and plants. Here, we show for the first time the use of recombinant silicatein-α, the most abundant subunit of sponge proteins catalyzing biosilicification reactions, to direct the formation of optical waveguides in-vitro through soft microlithography. The artificial biosilica fibres mimic the natural sponge spicules, exhibiting refractive index values suitable for confinement of light within waveguides, with optical losses in the range of 5–10 cm−1, suitable for application in lab-on-chips systems. This method extends biosilicification to the controlled fabrication of optical components by physiological processing conditions, hardly addressed by conventional technologies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

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confidence: 99%

Optical properties of in-vitro biomineralised silica

Polini

Pagliara

Camposeo

et al. 2012

Sci Rep

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“…Layer thickness, roughness, and water contact angle can be controlled by varying the amount of silicatein adsorbed on the layer and the time of exposure. The importance of the time dimension is also highlighted in a study where silicatein is microcontact printed in strips on the surface by conventional optical lithography (physisorption), followed by addition of TEOS [133]. At early stages, silica only forms at the strips where silicatein is present and only gradually merges to a continuous layer (Figure 12).…”

Section: Biotechnological Applications Of Silicifying Proteins Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(c) Over time the strips fuse to form a continuous layer or film. Reproduced with permission from [133]. …”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Proteins in Biosilicification

Otzen

2012

Scientifica

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Although the use of silicon dioxide (silica) as a constituent of living organisms is mainly restricted to diatoms and sponges, the ways in which this process is controlled by nature continue to inspire and fascinate. Both diatoms and sponges carry out biosilificiation using an organic matrix but they adopt very different strategies. Diatoms use small and heavily modified peptides called silaffins, where the most characteristic feature is a modulation of charge by attaching long chain polyamines (LCPAs) to lysine groups. Free LCPAs can also cooperate with silaffins. Sponges use the enzyme silicatein which is homologous to the cysteine protease cathepsin. Both classes of proteins form higher-order structures which act both as structural templates and mechanistic catalysts for the polycondensation reaction. In both cases, additional proteins are continuously being discovered which modulate the process further. This paper concentrates on the role of these proteins in the biosilification process as well as in various applications, highlighting areas where focus on specific protein properties may provide further insight. The field of biosilification is a crossroads of different disciplines, where insight into the energetics and mechanisms of molecular self-assembly combine with fundamental biology, complex multicomponent colloidal systems, and an impressive array of potential technological applications.

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“…The tools are now elaborated to fabricate in a controlled way optical components under physiological processing conditions (66) that are surrounded by a doped dielectric. Finally, the layer-by-layer technology, using a functionalized silicatein template for the controlled fabrication of a mineralic phase 1, and again a silicatein template for a further mineralic phase 2, may provide useful elements for the further advancement in the production of electrical insulating and conducting elements for microelectronics, again under mild conditions (67). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐healing, an intrinsic property of biomineralization processes

et al. 2013

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The sponge siliceous spicules are formed enzymatically via silicatein, in contrast to other siliceous biominerals. Originally, silicatein had been described as a major structural protein of the spicules that has the property to allow a specific deposition of silica onto their surface. More recently, it had been unequivocally demonstrated that silicatein displays a genuine enzyme activity, initiating and maintaining silica biopolycondensation at low precursor concentrations (<2 mM). Even more, as silicatein becomes embedded into the biosilica polymer, formed by the enzyme, it retains its functionality to enable a controlled biosilica deposition. The protection of silicatein through the biosilica mantel is so strong that it conserves the functionality of the enzyme for thousands of years. The implication of this finding, the preservation of the enzyme function over such long time periods, is that the intrinsic property of silicatein to display its enzymatic activity remains in the biosilica deposits. This self-healing property of sponge biosilica can be utilized to engineer novel hybrid materials, with silicatein as a functional template, which are more resistant toward physical stress and fracture. Those hybrid materials can even be used for the fabrication of silica dielectrics coupled to optical nanowires. V C 2013 IUBMB Life, 65(5):382-396, 2013.

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Biosilica Electrically‐Insulating Layers by Soft Lithography‐Assisted Biomineralisation with Recombinant Silicatein

Cited by 17 publications

References 38 publications

Optical properties of in-vitro biomineralised silica

Optical properties of in-vitro biomineralised silica

The Role of Proteins in Biosilicification

Self‐healing, an intrinsic property of biomineralization processes

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