Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8334652 | International Journal of Biological Macromolecules | 2012 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
Until now, there is a lack of knowledge about the presence of chitin in numerous representatives of corals (Cnidaria). However, investigations concerning the chitin-based skeletal organization in different coral taxa are significant from biochemical, structural, developmental, ecological and evolutionary points of view. In this paper, we present a thorough screening for the presence of chitin within the skeletal formations of a poorly investigated Mediterranean black coral, Parantipathes larix (Esper, 1792), as a typical representative of the Schizopathidae family. Using a wide array variety of techniques (13C solid state NMR, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman, NEXAFS, Morgan-Elson assay and Calcofluor White Staining), we unambiguously show for the first time that chitin is an important component within the skeletal stalks as well as pinnules of this coral.
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Authors
Marzia Bo, Giorgio Bavestrello, Denis Kurek, Silvia Paasch, Eike Brunner, René Born, Roberta Galli, Allison L. Stelling, Viktor N. Sivkov, Olga V. Petrova, Denis Vyalikh, Kurt Kummer, Serguei L. Molodtsov, Dorota Nowak, Jakub Nowak, Hermann Ehrlich,