Marine silicon biotechnology
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| Abstract |
The discovery of the catalytic capability in silicatein, a constituent of the protein axial filament occluded in biosilica of the marine demosponge Tethya aurantia, for hydrolysis and polycondensation of silicon alkoxides to yield silica, as well as its role as a template for silicon biomineralization brought about emergence of a new field, silicon biotechnology, as a part of marine biotechnology. This new discipline focuses on understanding the mechanisms controlling biomineralization of silicon elements and its application to the development of new routes to the synthesis of silicon-based materials under environmentally benign conditions. However, as demonstrated by recent studies, the capability of silicatein is not limited to the synthesis of silicon-based materials but is also applicable to the production of various metal oxide materials and organic polymers. Thus, silicon biotechnology represents technology involved in or inspired by silicatein and actually covers the synthesis of silicon-based materials as well as materials consisting of other elements. In this chapter, the molecular biological properties of silicatein and its possible mechanisms on silica polycondensation are summarized, and then a variety of examples of silicatein for the synthesis of silica as well as other materials in environmentally benign routes are described. |
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