Summary
Freeze-dried intestinal mucus of sea-water-adapted eels was analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray microanalysis. Calcite crystals were observed in the mucus fibres; their concentration increased along the hindgut. Random SEM observations made in situ indicated that mucus fibres were involved in the genesis of these crystals. Calcium-rich mucus globules were found fused inside crystal matrices. Single typical rhombohedric crystals of various complexity appeared within the mucus framework. The steps of crystal biogenesis were reconstituted in in-vitro conditions.
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Humbert, W., Kirsch, R. & Simonneaux, V. Is mucus involved in biocrystallization?. Cell Tissue Res. 245, 599–604 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00218561
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00218561