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Biominerals are mineral-organic composite materials created by living organisms which often contain proteins that facilitate the mineralization process. Studying biominerals and biomineralizing proteins is important for understanding the molecular processes that make biomineralization possible and for investigating the origin and evolution of the process. Coccolithophores are abundant calcium carbonate producing biomineralizing organisms and are central to many biogeochemical cycles. However, while much work has been done to understand coccolith formation and composition, no biomineralizing protein has yet to be definitively identified in coccoliths. The purpose of this study was to show that proteins are occluded in the coccoliths and to begin identifying those that may be involved in coccolith mineralization. Coccolith samples were collected and cleaned from laboratory grown cultures. The liths were analyzed for protein content using nano LC-MS/MS, spectrophotometry, and gel electrophoresis. Mass spectrometry analysis found 100 discrete proteins in the sample. Of these, bioinformatic analysis identified 77 proteins with functional annotations, including six that may be potentially involved in biomineralization in some capacity. |
