生物矿化研究现状和展望

生物矿化过程是指在生物体中细胞的参与下,无机元素从环境中选择性地沉淀在特定的有机质上而形成的新矿物.生物矿化矿物的结晶严格受生物体分泌的有机基质的控制,是在有机基质膜板诱导下的晶体生长.生物体内有机基质指导矿物晶体的成核、生长和聚集,使得生物矿物具有特定的形貌、取向和组装方式,从而产生特殊的功能.生物矿化近年来受到化学、物理、生物以及材料学等多学科的关注.综述了生物矿化的类型、过程、机理及常用的研究方法和研究进展,并作了学科展望.     

Study on the modulating effect of polysaccharide upon the mineralization of iron hydroxide

To investigate the modulating effect of polysaccharide upon the mineralization of iron hydroxide, a series of simulative biomineralization experiments using dextran and chitosan as organic substrates were conducted in this paper. The results showed that iron hydroxide gel nucleated and grew in polysaccharide molecules, with the self-assemble effect of dextran or chitosan, the nanometer-sized akaganeite was formed. The shape, size and crystal structural type of iron oxyhydroxide formed from iron hydroxide gel depend on the type of polysaccharide and its concentrations.     

从生物矿化作用衍生出的有机矿化作用：地球生物学框架下重要的研究主题

早期"生物矿化作用"的概念,被定义为生物形成矿物的作用,并进一步分为生物控制和生物诱导两大类型。这个宽泛的概念,被修订为生物以生命活型(living form)影响矿物物质的沉淀作用;相应地,"生物矿物"是在严格的生物控制下、从局部环境中选择性地吸收元素并融合成具有生物功能构造的矿物。"有机矿化作用",则被定义为"与那些无生命活力的有机物质相关联的矿物形成作用"。与生物矿化作用相对应,有机矿化作用的产物被定义为"有机矿物",用来指那些通过有机聚合物、生物的和(或)非生物的有机化合物所导致的矿物沉淀作用,但是,有机矿物并非活着的细胞所直接形成。有机矿物与生物矿物的重要区别是,有机矿物没有被融合成受到生物严格控制的功能性构造。生物学家和化学家将生物矿化作用作为关注"生命体系中复杂的化学过程"的研究主题,超越了地质学范畴并使生物矿化作用的研究成为多学科关注的迷人领域,也大大促进了有机矿化作用的研究;考虑到有机矿物是沉积岩的重要组成,而且与生物的出现同步,还是潜在性的地外生命的遗迹,因此,从生物矿化作用衍生出的有机矿化作用的研究,自然就成为与生物矿化作用存在紧密关联的、地球生物学框架下又一个重要的研究主题     

Microbial biomineralization processes forming modern Ca:Mg carbonate stromatolites

Modern Ca:Mg carbonate stromatolites form in association with the microbial mat in the hypersaline coastal lagoon, Lagoa Vermelha (Brazil). The stromatolites, although showing diversified fabrics characterized by thin or crude lamination and/or thrombolitic clotting, exhibit a pervasive peloidal microfabric. The peloidal texture consists of dark, micritic aggregates of very high‐Mg calcite and/or Ca dolomite formed by an iso‐oriented assemblage of sub‐micron trigonal polyhedrons and organic matter. Limpid acicular crystals of aragonite arranged in spherulites surround these aggregates. Unlike the aragonite crystals, organic matter is present consistently in the dark, micritic carbonate comprising the peloids. This organic matter is observed as sub‐micron flat and filamentous mucus‐like structures inside the interspaces of the high‐Mg calcite and Ca dolomite crystals and is interpreted as the remains of degraded extracellular polymeric substances. Moreover, many fossilized bacterial cells are associated strictly with both carbonate phases. These cells consist mainly of 0·2 to 4 μm in diameter, sub‐spherical, rod‐like and filamentous forms, isolated or in colony‐like clusters. The co‐existence of fossil extracellular polymeric substances and bacterial bodies, associated with the polyhedrons of Ca:Mg carbonate, implies that the organic matter and microbial metabolism played a fundamental role in the precipitation of the minerals that form the peloids. By contrast, the lack of extracellular polymeric substances in the aragonitic phase indicates an additional precipitation mechanism. The complex processes that induce mineral precipitation in the modern Lagoa Vermelha microbial mat appear to be recorded in the studied lithified stromatolites. Sub‐micron polyhedral crystal formation of high‐Mg calcite and/or Ca dolomite results from the coalescence of carbonate nanoglobules around degraded organic matter nuclei. Sub‐micron polyhedral crystals aggregate to form larger ovoidal crystals that constitute peloids. Subsequent precipitation of aragonitic spherulites around peloids occurs as micro‐environmental water conditions around the peloids change.     

Characterization of calcium deposition induced by Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 in BG11 culture medium

Calcium carbonate （CaCO3） crystals in their preferred orientation were obtained in BG11 culture media inoculated with Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 （inoculated BG11）. In this study, the features of calcium carbonate deposition were investigated. Inoculated BGll in different calcium ion concentrations was used for the experimental group, while the BGll culture medium was used for the control group. The surface morphologies of the calcium carbonate deposits in the experimental and control groups were determined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The deposits were analyzed by electronic probe micro-analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The results show that the surfaces of the crystals in the experimental group were hexahedral in a scaly pattern. The particle sizes were micrometer-sized and larger than those in the control group. The deposits of the control group contained calcium （Ca）, carbon （C）, oxygen （O）, phosphorus （P）, iron （Fe）, copper （Cu）, zinc （Zn）, and other elements. The deposits in the experimental group contained Ca, C, and O only. The deposits of both groups contained calcite. The thermal decomposition temperature of the deposits in the control group was lower than those in the experimental group. It showed that the CaCO3 deposits of the experimental group had higher thermal stability than those of the control group. This may be due to the secondary metabolites produced by the algae cells, which affect the carbonate crystal structure and result in a close-packed structure. The algae cells that remained after thermal weight loss were heavier in higher calcium concentrations in BGll culture media. There may be more calcium- containing crystals inside and outside of these cells. These results shall be beneficial for understanding the formation mechanism of carbonate minerals.     

含水非晶碳酸钙的仿生矿化研究

生物成因矿物的形成过程通常是通过先沉积非晶前驱体,进而转变形成某一种结晶相的途径来实现的。对生物成因 碳酸钙而言,普遍认为其非晶的前驱体相是在生物有机大分子和无机离子共同作用下形成的。在阴离子柠檬酸根存在的情 况下,仿生合成了非晶碳酸钙（Amorphous calcium carbonate,ACC）,运用场发射扫描电子显微镜（FESEM）、X-射线衍射（XRD）、 傅里叶红外光谱（FTIR）和热重-差热分析（TG-DTA）等实验手段进行了分析并观测了非晶碳酸钙后续转变。结果显示, 多羧基的阴离子能够诱导形成非晶碳酸钙,并且这些非晶碳酸钙具有与生物成因非晶碳酸钙类似的组成。这可能指示与生 物矿化相关的生物大分子,特别是一些富含极性羧基大分子能够诱导碳酸钙矿物非晶态前驱体相的形成,同时也能暂时稳 定这些非晶前驱体相。     

企鹅珍珠贝矿化基因表达模式和贝壳超微结构对珍珠质层颜色影响的研究

为探究企鹅珍珠贝贝壳内表面珍珠质层不同区域颜色差异形成的原因,选取9个生物矿化相关基因,利用实时荧光定量PCR扩增技术对其在外套膜不同部位的表达水平进行测定,并利用扫描电子显微镜对贝壳珍珠质层不同区域的内表面及纵断面的微观结构进行观察.结果 表明:有8个矿化基因在企鹅珍珠贝外套膜远端膜区和中央膜区的表达量具有显著差异(...     

不同微生物诱导钙锶生物矿化的比较研究

为了研究并比较不同微生物在不同钙锶比条件下对钙锶生物矿化过程的调制作用,选取耐辐射奇球菌、酵母菌和大 肠杆菌作为模拟生物矿化的有机基质,通过SEM,FT-IR和XRD对钙锶矿物的形貌、晶型、晶粒尺寸进行表征分析。结果 表明：①当[Ca2+]/[Sr2+]=2时,不加微生物体系中形成的是文石型和柱状方解石型混合晶体,加入微生物组则形成纺锤状方 解石型晶体。此时3种微生物均能诱导锶离子进入碳酸钙晶格;②当[Ca2+]/[Sr2+]=1时,不加菌体系中形成条稀疏的纺锤状文 石型晶体。加入酵母菌和大肠杆菌的体系则形成紧密的纺锤状和簇状文石型晶体,它们能在一定程度上抑制锶离子进入碳 酸钙晶格。而加入耐辐射奇球菌体系形成菜花状方解石型晶体,其仍能诱导锶离子置换钙离子;③当[Ca2+]/[Sr2+]=1/2时,不 加菌体系中形成大小无规则聚集成团的文石型晶体。加3种微生物体系则形成纺锤状或簇状文石型晶体,它们会在一定程 度上抑制锶离子进入碳酸钙晶格。因此,在钙离子浓度较大时,更易形成方解石物相,在锶离子浓度较大时,更易形成文 石物相。     

微生物地球化学及其研究进展

本文阐述了微生物地球化学的发展历程及微生物地球化学近期的研究进展。微生物可以促进许多地质地球化学过程,微生物地球化学作用主要表现在对岩石和矿物风化、元素迁移和聚集、有机质降解以及矿床形成等方面;还表现在部分控制大气成分,参与有机物和无机物循环并影响其全球分布,从而对地球形成以来物质在上部岩石圈、水圈和大气圈中的分布起到了重要的控制作用。微生物地球化学的成果已经从根本上修正了地球科学的核心观点,它的发展必将对地球科学和生命科学的发展起到重要的促进作用。     

生物成矿研究的现状与进展

目前对生物成矿的研究集中在生物成矿方式及成矿意义上。生物通过自身或由其活动改变环境物理化学条件使成矿元素发生聚集、迁移和沉淀。通过实验和野外观测对这一成矿过程有了更具体的了解。本文对发生生物成矿作用的地质背景、生物形成矿床的识别标志作了总结,并简单地介绍了生物成矿研究较多的某些金属、非金属矿床。