Biogenic fish-gut calcium carbonate is a stable amorphous phase in the gilt-head seabream, sparus aurata

Elizabeth Foran; Steve Weiner; Maoz Fine

doi:10.1038/srep01700

Biogenic fish-gut calcium carbonate is a stable amorphous phase in the gilt-head seabream, sparus aurata

Elizabeth Foran, Steve Weiner, Maoz Fine

The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

46 Scopus citations

Abstract

The main source of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in the ocean comes from the shells of calcifying planktonic organisms, but substantial amounts of CaCO₃ are also produced in fish intestines. The precipitation of CaCO₃ assists fish in intestinal water absorption and aids in whole body Ca²⁺ homeostasis. Here we report that the product formed in the intestinal lumen of the gilt-head seabream, Sparus aurata, is an amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) phase. With FTIR spectroscopy and SEM imaging, our study shows that the fish-derived carbonates from S. aurata are maintained as a stable amorphous phase throughout the intestinal tract. Moreover, intestinal deposits contained up to 54 mol% Mg²⁺, the highest concentration yet reported in biogenic ACC. Mg is most likely responsible for stabilizing this inherently unstable mineral. The fish carbonates also displayed initial rapid dissolution when exposed to seawater, exhibiting a significant increase in carbonate concentration.

Original language	English
Article number	1700
Journal	Scientific Reports
Volume	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/srep01700
State	Published - 2013

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We are grateful to the staff of the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat for logistic help. Many thanks go to Dr. Angelo Colorni of the National Center for Mariculture, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research for invaluable fish health and maintenance advice. We thank Mr Assaf Gal, Weizmann Institute, for his assistance with the ICP-AES analyses, and Dr. Yakov Langzam of Bar Ilan University for assistance with the SEM imaging. This study was supported in part by an Israel Science Foundation grant to MF and by the EU FP-7 MedSeA project, and in part by a German Research Foundation, DIP grant. SW is the incumbent of the Dr. Trude Burchardt Professorial Chair of Structural Biology.

Funding

We are grateful to the staff of the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat for logistic help. Many thanks go to Dr. Angelo Colorni of the National Center for Mariculture, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research for invaluable fish health and maintenance advice. We thank Mr Assaf Gal, Weizmann Institute, for his assistance with the ICP-AES analyses, and Dr. Yakov Langzam of Bar Ilan University for assistance with the SEM imaging. This study was supported in part by an Israel Science Foundation grant to MF and by the EU FP-7 MedSeA project, and in part by a German Research Foundation, DIP grant. SW is the incumbent of the Dr. Trude Burchardt Professorial Chair of Structural Biology.

Funders	Funder number
DIP
EU FP-7 MedSeA
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Israel Science Foundation

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1038/srep01700

Cite this

@article{cbbfae2fa53c408cbbff922c1d9d19aa,

title = "Biogenic fish-gut calcium carbonate is a stable amorphous phase in the gilt-head seabream, sparus aurata",

abstract = "The main source of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the ocean comes from the shells of calcifying planktonic organisms, but substantial amounts of CaCO3 are also produced in fish intestines. The precipitation of CaCO3 assists fish in intestinal water absorption and aids in whole body Ca2+ homeostasis. Here we report that the product formed in the intestinal lumen of the gilt-head seabream, Sparus aurata, is an amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) phase. With FTIR spectroscopy and SEM imaging, our study shows that the fish-derived carbonates from S. aurata are maintained as a stable amorphous phase throughout the intestinal tract. Moreover, intestinal deposits contained up to 54 mol% Mg2+, the highest concentration yet reported in biogenic ACC. Mg is most likely responsible for stabilizing this inherently unstable mineral. The fish carbonates also displayed initial rapid dissolution when exposed to seawater, exhibiting a significant increase in carbonate concentration.",

author = "Elizabeth Foran and Steve Weiner and Maoz Fine",

note = "Funding Information: We are grateful to the staff of the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat for logistic help. Many thanks go to Dr. Angelo Colorni of the National Center for Mariculture, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research for invaluable fish health and maintenance advice. We thank Mr Assaf Gal, Weizmann Institute, for his assistance with the ICP-AES analyses, and Dr. Yakov Langzam of Bar Ilan University for assistance with the SEM imaging. This study was supported in part by an Israel Science Foundation grant to MF and by the EU FP-7 MedSeA project, and in part by a German Research Foundation, DIP grant. SW is the incumbent of the Dr. Trude Burchardt Professorial Chair of Structural Biology.",

year = "2013",

doi = "10.1038/srep01700",

language = "אנגלית",

volume = "3",

journal = "Scientific Reports",

issn = "2045-2322",

publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Biogenic fish-gut calcium carbonate is a stable amorphous phase in the gilt-head seabream, sparus aurata

AU - Foran, Elizabeth

AU - Weiner, Steve

AU - Fine, Maoz

N1 - Funding Information: We are grateful to the staff of the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat for logistic help. Many thanks go to Dr. Angelo Colorni of the National Center for Mariculture, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research for invaluable fish health and maintenance advice. We thank Mr Assaf Gal, Weizmann Institute, for his assistance with the ICP-AES analyses, and Dr. Yakov Langzam of Bar Ilan University for assistance with the SEM imaging. This study was supported in part by an Israel Science Foundation grant to MF and by the EU FP-7 MedSeA project, and in part by a German Research Foundation, DIP grant. SW is the incumbent of the Dr. Trude Burchardt Professorial Chair of Structural Biology.

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - The main source of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the ocean comes from the shells of calcifying planktonic organisms, but substantial amounts of CaCO3 are also produced in fish intestines. The precipitation of CaCO3 assists fish in intestinal water absorption and aids in whole body Ca2+ homeostasis. Here we report that the product formed in the intestinal lumen of the gilt-head seabream, Sparus aurata, is an amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) phase. With FTIR spectroscopy and SEM imaging, our study shows that the fish-derived carbonates from S. aurata are maintained as a stable amorphous phase throughout the intestinal tract. Moreover, intestinal deposits contained up to 54 mol% Mg2+, the highest concentration yet reported in biogenic ACC. Mg is most likely responsible for stabilizing this inherently unstable mineral. The fish carbonates also displayed initial rapid dissolution when exposed to seawater, exhibiting a significant increase in carbonate concentration.

AB - The main source of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the ocean comes from the shells of calcifying planktonic organisms, but substantial amounts of CaCO3 are also produced in fish intestines. The precipitation of CaCO3 assists fish in intestinal water absorption and aids in whole body Ca2+ homeostasis. Here we report that the product formed in the intestinal lumen of the gilt-head seabream, Sparus aurata, is an amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) phase. With FTIR spectroscopy and SEM imaging, our study shows that the fish-derived carbonates from S. aurata are maintained as a stable amorphous phase throughout the intestinal tract. Moreover, intestinal deposits contained up to 54 mol% Mg2+, the highest concentration yet reported in biogenic ACC. Mg is most likely responsible for stabilizing this inherently unstable mineral. The fish carbonates also displayed initial rapid dissolution when exposed to seawater, exhibiting a significant increase in carbonate concentration.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84877779088&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/srep01700

DO - 10.1038/srep01700

M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???

C2 - 23609008

AN - SCOPUS:84877779088

SN - 2045-2322

VL - 3

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

M1 - 1700

ER -

Biogenic fish-gut calcium carbonate is a stable amorphous phase in the gilt-head seabream, sparus aurata

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this