Calcium carbonate skeletal tissues in metazoans comprise a small quantity of occluded
organic macromolecules, mostly proteins and polysaccharides that constitute the skeletal …

In Nature, calcium carbonate biomineralizations are the most abundant mineralized
structures of biological origin. Because many exhibit remarkable characteristics, several …

In scleractinian corals, biomineralization leads to the formation of a calcium carbonate
exoskeleton. This process is biologically controlled and involves a mineral fraction of …

Calcium-based matrices serve predominantly as inorganic, hard skeletal systems in
Metazoa from calcareous sponges [phylum Porifera; class Calcarea] to proto-and …

In an interesting work published recently in PNAS, Drake et al.(1) presented a proteomic
study of the skeleton from the stony coral Stylophora pistillata. This study identified proteins …

The ability to construct a mineralized skeleton was a major innovation for the Metazoa
during their evolution in the late Precambrian/early Cambrian. Porifera (sponges) hold an …

The precipitation and assembly of calcium carbonate skeletons by stony corals is a precisely
controlled process regulated by the secretion of an ECM. Recently, it has been reported that …

The genetic bases of skeletogenesis are expected to shed light on the origins of metazoan
biomineralization. Here we review aspects of genetic machineries of invertebrate …

In corals, biocalcification is a major function that may be drastically affected by ocean
acidification (OA). Scleractinian corals grow by building up aragonitic exoskeletons that …

The massive basal skeleton of a few remnant living hypercalcified sponges rediscovered
since the 1960s are valuable representatives of ancient calcium carbonate biomineralization …