Skeletal Tissues Mineralization

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomineralization and Biominerals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 5502

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biomaterials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Interests: bone; electron microscopy; cryo-FIBSEM; mineralization; calcium; development

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Guest Editor
Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Herzl St 234, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
Interests: biomineralization; bone structure-function

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mineralized tissues in vertebrates, such as bone, teeth, scales, and eggshells, exhibit remarkably diverse hierarchical organizations, encompassing multiple levels of structure from the nanoscale to the macroscopic level, and often exquisite control over the mineral and matrix components. This hierarchical organization contributes to the mechanical properties and functional characteristics of these materials. Understanding these structure–function relationships at different hierarchical levels is vital for unraveling the principles governing the biomechanical properties, strength, flexibility, and adaptability of mineralized tissues, as well as their functions in different vertebrate species.

This Special Issue focuses on the mineralized skeletal tissues of vertebrates, from fish to mammals. Submitted papers should present novel fundamental insights into one or more aspects, such as mechanisms of formation, unique functional adaptations, and insights into the evolution of these tissues.

Additionally, we are particularly interested in contributions that address methodological aspects designed to improve our current understanding of the mineralization processes and material functions. Innovative approaches, such as advanced imaging techniques, compositional analyses, correlative light and electron microscopy and cryo-electron microscopy, will be particularly welcome.

Dr. Emeline Raguin
Prof. Dr. Steve Weiner
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • mineralization
  • skeletal tissues
  • calcium
  • imaging and analytical techniques
  • bone
  • eggshell

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 819 KiB  
Article
Approximation of the Role of Mineralized Collagen Fibril Orientation in the Mechanical Properties of Bone: A Computational Study on Dehydrated Osteonal Lamellar Bone
by Onur Cem Namli and Feride Sermin Utku
Minerals 2024, 14(11), 1107; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14111107 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 945
Abstract
Bone is a natural composite of the hierarchical arrangement of mineralized collagen fibrils in various orientations. This study aims to understand how the orientation of the bone mineral, guiding the removal of water contained in the humidity-responsive layers during dehydration, affects its mechanical [...] Read more.
Bone is a natural composite of the hierarchical arrangement of mineralized collagen fibrils in various orientations. This study aims to understand how the orientation of the bone mineral, guiding the removal of water contained in the humidity-responsive layers during dehydration, affects its mechanical properties. A sublamellar pattern with mineralized collagen fibrils oriented between 0° to 150° at 5° angles was the model studied. Using basic transformational computational methods, dimensional change was calculated in the transverse and oblique planes of osteonal lamellar bone while considering bone components sensitive to dehydration in radial, tangential, and axial orientations. The anisotropy ratios of the change in the dimension of the variable mineralized collagen fibril orientations calculated using the computed model displayed values ranging between 0.847 to 2.092 for the transverse plane and 0.9856 to 1.0207 for the oblique plane. A comparison of the anisotropy results of the suggested model indicated that they approach the experimental results of both transversely and obliquely cut samples. As collagen fibril and mineral orientation take place both temporally and spatially in relationship with the static and dynamic loads placed on the different volumes of bone, the results may imply that the mechanical demands involved in bone resorption and deposition contribute to the formation of this multi-faceted and hierarchically structured natural composite. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Skeletal Tissues Mineralization)
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20 pages, 4968 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Incremental Markings in the Sagittal Otolith of the Pacific Sardine (Sardinops sagax) Using Different Imaging Modalities
by Kelsey C. James, Uwe Kierdorf, Victoria Cooley, Viktor Nikitin, Stuart R. Stock and Horst Kierdorf
Minerals 2024, 14(7), 705; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14070705 - 12 Jul 2024
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Abstract
Teleost fish possess calcium carbonate otoliths located in separate chambers (utriculus, sacculus, and lagena) of their membranous labyrinth. This study analyzed the surface topography of the sagittal otolith of the Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) and the daily and annual increments in [...] Read more.
Teleost fish possess calcium carbonate otoliths located in separate chambers (utriculus, sacculus, and lagena) of their membranous labyrinth. This study analyzed the surface topography of the sagittal otolith of the Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) and the daily and annual increments in these otoliths. The otolith surface, characterized by laser scanning confocal microscopy for the first time, consisted of a system of prominent ridges and valleys (grooves), but it is unclear whether these structures are functional or represent time-resolving markings reflecting growth periodicity. Within the first-year volume, daily increments, each consisting of an incremental (more mineralized) and a discontinuous (less mineralized) zone, were resolved by optical microscopy and backscattered electron (BSE) imaging in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Daily growth increments could, however, not be resolved in volumes formed after the first year, presumably because otolith growth markedly slows down and spacing of incremental markings narrows in older fish. Throughout otolith growth, the crystalline network continues across the discontinuous zones. Fluorochrome labeling provides additional information on growth after the first year. Compared with optical and BSE imaging, synchrotron microComputed Tomography of intact otoliths (with 0.69 µm volume elements) was less able to resolve daily increments; X-ray phase contrast reconstructions provided more detail than reconstructions with absorption contrast. Future research directions are proposed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Skeletal Tissues Mineralization)
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