Kurzfassung

The aim of this joint project between the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Prof. Dr. Werner E.G. Müller) and the National Research Center for Geoanalysis in Beijing (Prof. Dr. Xiaohong Wang) was to investigate the molecular basis of the exceptional optical and mechanical properties of the needles (spicules) of the deep-sea glass sponges (hexactinellids). The proteins / genes that are involved in building the hexactinellid spicules are of great interest for...The aim of this joint project between the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Prof. Dr. Werner E.G. Müller) and the National Research Center for Geoanalysis in Beijing (Prof. Dr. Xiaohong Wang) was to investigate the molecular basis of the exceptional optical and mechanical properties of the needles (spicules) of the deep-sea glass sponges (hexactinellids). The proteins / genes that are involved in building the hexactinellid spicules are of great interest for the construction of new, fiber-optics based biological biosensors. For this, the unique properties of the inorganic-organic hybrid material ("biosilica"), from which the spicules are built (ability for light transmission and at the same extreme mechanical stability - in contrast to technical optical fibers), and the particular mechanism of their formation, based on the principles of self-assembly and enzyme catalysis, are exploited. This enables a synthesis at mild conditions (room temperature) for novel applications in nanobiotechnology and microelectronics» weiterlesen» einklappen