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Cited by 24Calcium Carbonate Crystallization and InhibitionPhotonic Crystals and Applicationsmelanin and skin pigmentation

Genetic control over biogenic crystal morphogenesis in zebrafish

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Deis, Rachael, Lerer-Goldshtein, Tali, Baiko, Olha, Eyal, Zohar, Brenman-Begin, Dolev, Goldsmith, Moshe, Kaufmann, Sylvia, Heinig, Uwe +10 more·2025·Nature Chemical Biology
DOI 10.1038/s41589-024-01722-1PMC PMC11867974
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Abstract

Organisms evolve mechanisms that regulate the properties of biogenic crystals to support a wide range of functions, from vision and camouflage to communication and thermal regulation. Yet, the mechanism underlying the formation of diverse intracellular crystals remains enigmatic. Here we unravel the biochemical control over crystal morphogenesis in zebrafish iridophores. We show that the chemical composition of the crystals determines their shape, particularly through the ratio between the nucleobases guanine and hypoxanthine. We reveal that these variations in composition are genetically controlled through tissue-specific expression of specialized paralogs, which exhibit remarkable substrate selectivity. This orchestrated combination grants the organism with the capacity to generate a broad spectrum of crystal morphologies. Overall, our findings suggest a mechanism for the morphological and functional diversity of biogenic crystals and may, thus, inspire the development of genetically designed biomaterials and medical therapeutics. Organisms regulate biogenic crystal properties for various functions. Here the authors reveal the genetic and biochemical control of crystal morphogenesis in zebrafish iridophores, showing that the chemical composition, influenced by enzyme expression, determines crystal morphology and functionality.

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Authors
Deis, R., Lerer-Goldshtein, T., Baiko, O., Eyal, Z., Brenman-Begin, D., Goldsmith, M., Kaufmann, S., Heinig, U., Dong, Y., Lushchekina, S., Varsano, N., Olender, T., Kupervaser, M., Porat, Z., Levin-Zaidman, S., Pinkas, I., Mateus, R., & Gur, D.
Affiliations
  • Weizmann Institute of Science (IL)
  • Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (DE)
Corresponding author
Gur, Dvir
ORCID
Venue
Nature Chemical Biology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2024-08-30
Volume
21
Issue
3
Pages
383-392
ISSN
  • 1552-4450 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-4469
DOI
10.1038/s41589-024-01722-1
PMC
PMC11867974
OpenAlex
W4402058377
Cited by
24
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 1
FWCI
2.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature Chemical Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
European Union
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Calcium Carbonate Crystallization and Inhibition
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Photonic Crystals and Applications
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › melanin and skin pigmentation
Keywords
iridophores, zebrafish, guanine, hypoxanthine, paralogs, substrate specificity, tissue-specific gene expression, crystal morphology, biomaterials
MeSH terms
Animals, Chromatophores, Crystallization, Guanine, Morphogenesis, Zebrafish, Zebrafish Proteins

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