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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Self-assembly of Complex Two-dimensional Shapes from Single-stranded DNA Tiles
Published on: May 8, 2015
Self-assembly of highly phosphorylated silaffins and their function in biosilica morphogenesis
Nils Kröger1, Sonja Lorenz, Eike Brunner
1Lehrstuhl Biochemie I, Institut für Biophysik und Physikalische Biochemie, Universität Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Silaffins are uniquely modified peptides that have been implicated in the biogenesis of diatom biosilica. A method that avoids the harsh anhydrous hydrogen fluoride treatment commonly used to dissolve biosilica allows the extraction of silaffins in their native state. The native silaffins carry further posttranslational modifications in addition to their polyamine moieties. Each serine residue was phosphorylated, and this high level of phosphorylation is essential for biological activity. The zwitterionic structure of native silaffins enables the formation of supramolecular assemblies. Time-resolved analysis of silica morphogenesis in vitro detected a plastic silaffin-silica phase, which may represent a building material for diatom biosilica.
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