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Gorgonin

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refer to caption
The skeleton of a bamboo coral; the darker joints are gorgonin nodes

Gorgonin is a flexible[1] scleroprotein[2][clarification needed] which provides structural strength to gorgonian corals, a subset of the order Alcyonacea.[3] Gorgonian corals have supporting skeletal axes[definition needed] made of gorgonin and/or calcite.[4] Gorgonin makes up the joints of bamboo corals in the deep sea,[5] and forms the central internal skeleton of sea fans.[1] It frequently contains appreciable quantities of bromine, iodine, and tyrosine.[3]

Gorgonin is diagenetically stable and is deposited in discrete annual growth rings in Primnoa resedaeformis, and possibly other species.[6][7]

History

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The study of the chemistry of gorgonin, as a substance rather than a protein, was started by Balard in 1825, who reported on the occurrence of "iodogorgic acid".[8] Several sources cite Valenciennes as having given the protein the name of "gorgonin" in an 1855 monograph.[9][8] However, the monograph cited appears to contradict this, solely naming a newly-discovered substance in Gorgonians "cornéine" after its resemblance to substances extracted from mammalian hooves and nails.[10] According to one 1939 paper, Valenciennes' discovery was followed by investigations by Krukenberg, Mendel, Morner, and others, which suggested the protein was a keratin, similar to those obtained from the ectoderm of "higher animals".[9]

Scientific use

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Research has shown that measurements of the gorgonin and calcite within species of gorgonian corals can be useful in paleoclimatology and paleoceanography. Studies of the growth, composition, and structure of the skeleton of certain species of gorgonians, (e.g., Primnoa resedaeformis, and Plexaurella dichotoma) can be highly correlated with seasonal and climatic variation.[2][11][12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Sea fan". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  2. ^ a b Heikoop, J.M.; M.J. Risk; C.K. Shearer; V. Atudorei (March 2002). "Potential climate signals from the deep-sea gorgonian coral Primnoa resedaeformis". Hydrobiologia. 471 (1–3): 117–124. Bibcode:2002HyBio.471..117H. doi:10.1023/A:1016505421115. S2CID 7432164.
  3. ^ a b Borneman, Eric H. (2001). Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History. Neptune City, NJ 07753: T.F.H. Publications. p. 464. ISBN 1-890087-47-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. ^ Daly, M., M.R. Brugler, P. Cartwright, A.G. Collins, M.N. Dawson, D.G. Fautin, S.C. France, C.S. McFadden, D.M. Opresko, E. Rodriquez, S.L. Romano, J.L. Stake. (2007). The phylum Cnidaria: A review of phylogenetic patterns and diversity 300 years after Linnaeus. Zootaxa. (1668): 127–182., available online at http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2007f/zt01668p182.pdf
  5. ^ Ehrlich, H.; Etnoyer, P.; Litvinov, S. D.; Olennikova, M.M.; Domaschke, H.; Hanke, T.; Born, R.; Meissner, H.; Worch, H. (June 2006). "Biomaterial structure in deep-sea bamboo coral (Anthozoa: Gorgonacea: Isididae): perspectives for the development of bone implants and templates for tissue engineering". Materialwissenschaft und Werkstofftechnik. 37 (6): 552–557. doi:10.1002/mawe.200600036. ISSN 0933-5137.
  6. ^ Sherwood, Owen A.; Lehmann, Moritz F.; Schubert, Carsten J.; Scott, David B.; McCarthy, Matthew D. (2011-01-18). "Nutrient regime shift in the western North Atlantic indicated by compound-specific δ 15 N of deep-sea gorgonian corals". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108 (3): 1011–1015. doi:10.1073/pnas.1004904108. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 3024653. PMID 21199952.
  7. ^ Sherwood, Owen A.; Scott, David B.; Risk, Michael J. (2006-06-01). "Late Holocene radiocarbon and aspartic acid racemization dating of deep-sea octocorals". Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 70 (11): 2806–2814. Bibcode:2006GeCoA..70.2806S. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2006.03.011. ISSN 0016-7037.
  8. ^ a b Ehrlich, Hermann (2019). "Gorgonin". Marine Biological Materials of Invertebrate Origin. Biologically-Inspired Systems. Vol. 13. Springer Cham. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-92483-0. eISSN 2211-0607. ISBN 978-3-319-92482-3. ISSN 2211-0593.
  9. ^ a b Block, Richard J.; Bolling, Diana (1939-03-01). "THE AMINO ACID COMPOSITION OF KERATINS: THE COMPOSITION OF GORGONIN, SPONGIN, TURTLE SCUTES, AND OTHER KERATINS". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 127 (3): 685–693. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(18)73773-3. ISSN 0021-9258.
  10. ^ Valenciennes (1855-07-01). "Extrait d'une monographie de la famille des Gorgonidées de la clase des Polypes". Comptes rendus hebdomadaires: 7–15. Retrieved 2024-10-07 – via Gallica.
  11. ^ Sherwood, Owen A.; Jeffrey M. Heikoop; Daniel J. Sinclair; David B. Scott; Michael J. Risk; Chip Shearer; Kumiko Azetsu-Scott (2005). Cold-Water Corals and Ecosystems. Erlangen Earth Conference Series. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 1061–1079. doi:10.1007/3-540-27673-4. ISBN 978-3-540-24136-2.
  12. ^ Bond, Zoë A.; Anne L. Cohen; Struan R. Smith; William J. Jenkins (2005-08-31). "Growth and composition of high-Mg calcite in the skeleton of a Bermudian gorgonian (Plexaurella dichotoma): Potential for paleothermometry". Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 6 (8): Q08010. Bibcode:2005GGG.....6.8010B. doi:10.1029/2005GC000911. hdl:1912/396. S2CID 128703481.


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