Organic crystal lattices in the axial filament of silica spicules of Demospongiae

The skeletal system of Demospongiae consists of siliceous spicules, which are composed of an axial channel containing an organic axial filament (AF) surrounded by a compact layer of hydrated amorphous silica. Here we report the ultrastructural investigations of the AF of siliceous spicules from two Demospongiae: Suberites domuncula and Tethya aurantium. Electron microscopy, electron diffraction and elemental mapping analyses on both longitudinal and transversal cross-sections yield that spicules's AF consist of a three-dimensional crystal lattice of six-fold symmetry. Its structure, which is the result of a biological growth process, is a crystalline assembly characterized by a lattice of organic cages (periodicity in the range of 6 nm) filled with enzymatically-produced silica. In general, the six-fold lattice symmetry is reflected by the morphology of the AF, which is characterized by six-fold facets. This seems to be the result of a lattice energy minimization process similar to the situation found during the growth of inorganic crystals. Our structural exploitation of three-dimensional organic lattices generated by biological systems is expected to contribute for explaining the relation between axial filament's ultrastructure and spicule's ultimate morphology.