The final step of biomineralization is a chemical precipitation reaction that occurs
spontaneously in supersaturated or metastable salt solutions. Genetic programs direct …

BACKGROUND: Matrix vesicles have been implicated in the mineralization of calcified
cartilage, bone and dentin for more than 40 years. During this period, their exact role, if any …

Sixty-six years have elapsed since the discovery of fetuin in 1944, but its importance in
mammalian physiology has only recently been appreciated. Fetuin, first isolated from fetal …

One of our goals is to understand the mechanisms that deposit mineral within collagen
fibrils, and as a first step we recently determined the size exclusion characteristics of the …

Mineralization in higher vertebrates is restricted to bones and teeth. Pathological
calcification is mostly known in vasculature but can basically affect all soft tissues. Simply …

Biomineralization in vertebrates is a ubiquitous and tightly regulated process which creates
hierarchical structures for the skeleton. Because of the lack of understanding and …

Silk fibroin (SF) is extensively investigated in osteoregenerative therapy as it combines
extraordinary mechanical properties and directs calcium-phosphate formation. However, the …

Clinical studies and animal experiments have shown that the serum protein fetuin-A is a
highly effective inhibitor of soft tissue calcification. This inhibition mechanism was elucidated …

Background The cystatin superfamily comprises cysteine protease inhibitors that play key
regulatory roles in protein degradation processes. Although they have been the subject of …

Calcium and phosphate are the principle ions involved in the deposition of mineral in the
human body. Inhibitors of mineralisation are essential for the prevention of ectopic mineral …