The influence of synthetic and biogenic macromolecules on crystallization within polymer-rich phases
Abstract
The science behind the formation of crystalline materials is centuries old, and the classical theory of crystal nucleation and growth was pivotal for this discipline. However, in recent years many revisions and additions to this framework, collectively known as non-classical crystallization, were proposed. The common feature for all of these new concepts is that they deal with conditions morecomplex than soluble ions in a dilute solution, the playground of the classical perspective. Many of the recent breakthroughs were inspired by biological crystals that are formed by organisms in pathways that differ from the classical view, yet provide much better control over the products. One fundamental characteristic of biological mineralization, that was not investigated thus far, is thecrowded and dense chemical environment within cells. It is now becoming clear that polymer-dense phases are present in all cell types and are involved in the regulation of numerous cellular processes. In this project, we will investigate how crystallization of calcium carbonate can occur within such dense phases and which factors control the process.We will use synthetic and biological negatively charged polymers that are associated with calcium carbonate biominerals, and explore the formation of dense phases through their interactions with calcium cations. We will use polymer and calcium concentrations in the range of hundreds of millimolars, four orders of magnitude more concentrated than the well-studied influences of these polymers on calcium carbonate formation in dilute conditions. In the first part, we will characterize the conditions that lead to the formation of a single dense phase for each of the studied polymers. In the second part, we will add a carbonate source to induce the formation of calcium carbonate from the polymer-rich phase. These experiments will inform on what polymorphs can form, at what rates, and in what chemical conditions. Our preliminary results suggest thatthis behavior is different from calcium carbonate formation in dilute conditions. Lastly, we will investigate dense phase mineralization in confined environments using microfluidic devices. Confinement is an important characteristic of biological crystallization and might control morphogenesis when transport limited growth is dominant in the dense phase.This project aims toexplore how the emerging views on biomolecular condensates in cells may have been used by evolution to provide controls over crystallization. We will start with well controlled synthetic systems to calibrate and understand how crystals precipitate in crowded environments, and then expand the scope to a comparative analyses of several polymers that are associated with different biominerals. The outcome of the project should be a new framework that allows to design crystal properties by tailoring the dense polymer phases from which they grew.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 15, 2023
- Source ID
- N629092312036
Entities
People
- Assaf Gal
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Weizmann Institute of Science