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Science 29 March 2002:
Vol. 295. no. 5564, pp. 2430 - 2433
DOI: 10.1126/science.1070026
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Reports

A Phase Separation Model for the Nanopatterning of Diatom Biosilica

Manfred Sumper*

Diatoms are encased in an intricately patterned wall that consists of amorphous silica. Species-specific fabrication of this ornate biomineral enables taxonomists to identify thousands of diatom species. The molecular mechanisms that control this nanofabrication and generate the diversity of patterns is not well understood. A simple model is described, in which repeated phase separation events during wall biogenesis are assumed to produce self-similar silica patterns in smaller and smaller scales. On the basis of this single assumption, the apparently complex patterns found in the valves of the diatom genus Coscinodiscus can be predicted. Microscopic analysis of valves in statu nascendi from three different Coscinodiscus species supports the conclusions derived from the model.

Lehrstuhl Biochemie I, Universität Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
*   E-mail: manfred.sumper{at}vkl.uni-regensburg.de

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Biosilica formation in diatoms: Characterization of native silaffin-2 and its role in silica morphogenesis.
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Self-Assembly of Highly Phosphorylated Silaffins and Their Function in Biosilica Morphogenesis.
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