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Chitin Nanostructures in Living Organisms

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Chitin

Part of the book series: Topics in Geobiology ((TGBI,volume 34))

Abstract

In living organisms, chitin synthase present in chitosomes promotes the polymerization of N-acetylglucosamine, then the native chitin is assembled into nanocrystals. The latter cluster into long chitin-protein fibers that form a planar network whose spacings are filled up with pigments, nano-sized inorganic compounds and other substances. In certain cases quinones contribute to the mechanical strength by tanning. Elaborated but robust structures are present in arthropods, chitons, yeasts, fungi, diatoms, corals and sponges. The occurrence of a chitin-producing system is an ancestral condition observable in a number of phyla. Chitin supported many organisms during the Cambrian life explosion. Current research on the chitinous nanostructures is today important in order to understand the roles of chitin in vivo, as well as to prepare materials for medical and veterinary applications, in particular composites for filling bone defects, hemostatic bandages for emergency management of bleeding, and non-wovens for the ordered regeneration of wounded tissues.

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  1. University of Ancona, Ancona, Italy

    Riccardo A. A. Muzzarelli (Professor Emeritus of Enzymology)

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    Neal S. Gupta

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Muzzarelli, R.A.A. (2011). Chitin Nanostructures in Living Organisms. In: Gupta, N. (eds) Chitin. Topics in Geobiology, vol 34. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9684-5_1

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