PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

What makes the teeth of chitons iron hard?

Summary author: Walter Beckwith

2025-08-07
(Press-News.org) A group of marine mollusks called chitons produce extraordinarily tough teeth, which they use to scrape algae off rocks for food. Now, researchers report the protein RTMP1 (radular teeth matrix protein 1) appears to guide the precise formation of the iron-based mineral magnetite in the ultra-hard teeth of chitons. The findings mark the first known instance of an iron oxide-forming protein in a eukaryote, offering new insights into biomineralization and potential inspiration for novel materials design. Throughout the animal kingdom, many organisms form hard body parts, like teeth, bones, and shells, through a process called biomineralization. Among these, chitons produce extraordinarily tough teeth. Chiton teeth form within the radular sac on a conveyor belt-like structure, where specialized cells lay down organic templates that undergo staged mineralization, culminating in new, hard magnetite teeth. However, the underlying mechanism that governs the mineralization of iron in chiton teeth remains largely a mystery. Previous research has identified several proteins thought to be associated with this process. Of these, RTMP1 was identified as a strong contender in orchestrating the mineralization of magnetite in chiton teeth.

 

By analyzing gene expression across various chiton species, Michiko Nemoto and colleagues found that RTMP1 is evolutionarily conserved, implying a function unique to chitons. Using immunolabeling techniques, the authors detected RTMP1 not only within the teeth but also in the epithelial cells surrounding tooth cusps undergoing mineralization. Notably, the localization of RTMP1 shifted in correlation with the stages of mineral deposition – initially dispersed symmetrically, then concentrating on the nonmineralized side of the tooth after iron oxide began to accumulate. Within the cusps, RTMP1 formed narrow bands that migrated from the leading to the trailing edge as mineralization progressed. According to Nemoto et al., these dynamic, spatially controlled patterns strongly suggest that RTMP1 plays a pivotal, regulated role in directing iron oxide mineralization in chiton teeth. “Molecular details of biomineralization processes could provide the ability to mimic nature’s mineralization strategies for the synthesis of new materials,” writes André Sheffel in a related study.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New antibody targeting approach, tested in mice, improves distribution and safety of Alzheimer’s immunotherapies

2025-08-07
A newly engineered antibody transport vehicle targeting the transferrin receptor enables enhanced delivery of anti-amyloid antibodies to the brains of mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report. According to the study, the approach preserves key immune functions, such as microglial clearance of plaques, while offering a safer and more effective delivery strategy for anti–amyloid immunotherapies. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is marked by the buildup of amyloid-β (Aβ) protein plaques in the brain. ...

UC Irvine scientist takes a lesson from ultrahard, wear-resistant mollusk teeth

2025-08-07
  Irvine, Calif. — Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and Japan’s Okayama and Toho universities conducted a first-of-its-kind study to understand how chitons, mollusks that feed on algae growing on intertidal rocks, develop such hard, wear-resistant and magnetic teeth, and what they learned is inspiring new ways to produce advanced materials for a variety of applications. The results were published today in Science. In its study, the team unveiled the process by which chiton-specific, iron-binding ...

ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials

2025-08-07
The ability to detect single photons (the smallest energy packets constituting electromagnetic radiation) in the infrared range has become a pressing need across numerous fields, from medical imaging and astrophysics to emerging quantum technologies. In observational astronomy, for example, the light from distant celestial objects can be extremely faint and require exceptional sensitivity in the mid-infrared. Similarly, in free-space quantum communication—where single photons need to travel across vast distances—operating in ...

New scaffold technology helps combat traumatic brain injury by restoring copper balance

2025-08-07
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Recent research has developed a novel electrospun scaffold loaded with copper oxide (CuO@PG), which aims to restore copper homeostasis and modulate inflammation in TBI. The study shows that CuO@PG scaffolds significantly reduce neuronal pyroptosis (a form of programmed cell death), alleviate brain swelling, and improve motor and cognitive functions in animal models. These findings provide a promising therapeutic approach to mitigate the neurodegenerative effects ...

Bone metastases cultivate immature immune cells to resist immunotherapy

2025-08-07
AUGUST 7, 2025, NEW YORK – Many major cancers, including those of the lung, breast and prostate gland, spread to the bones as they progress. These bone metastases are often debilitating, even deadly. They are also notoriously resistant to all kinds of treatment, including immunotherapy. Now a Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified in the microenvironment of bone tumors a key architect of that resistance. Researchers co-led by Taha Merghoub and Tao Shi of the Ludwig Collaborative Laboratory at Weill Cornell Medicine with colleagues at Nanjing ...

Liming can help enhance carbon capture in agricultural fields

2025-08-07
Adding crushed calcium carbonate — limestone — to agricultural fields can remove tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year while improving crop yields, a Yale-led study published in Nature Water found. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere hit a record high in 2024 reaching over 420 parts per million. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has identified carbon removal as one key tool in limiting warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels to help mitigate climate change. To reach that target, 15 billion tons of carbon would have to be removed from the atmosphere each year. “There ...

National study urges expanded vaccine screening in emergency departments

2025-08-07
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- About 49% of people are unaware of one or more vaccines recommended for them. Further, 86% have not received one or more of these vaccines. These are the findings of a University of California, Riverside-led study published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports. The study is the first national comprehensive vaccine surveillance study conducted in emergency departments, or EDs — the only health care access point for millions of underserved Americans. “Vaccination screening is one of the most fundamental public health interventions,” ...

Simple color-changing sensor quickly identifies poisonous gases

2025-08-07
Not all poisonous gases have a smell or a color. But a tiny grid of pastel- and candy-colored squares that effectively “sniffs” out hazardous chemicals in the air such as chlorosarin — a highly toxic nerve agent — could help detect them. Researchers report in ACS Sensors that the colorful patterns in their inexpensive and durable paper-based sensor array changed in the presence of poisonous gases, allowing for quick and accurate measurements within minutes.      Electronic noses, ...

Exosomes found to play a double role in tumor growth and immune response

2025-08-07
Tiny extracellular vesicles known as exosomes are emerging as key regulators of the tumor microenvironment (TME), influencing how cancer progresses, spreads, and responds to treatment. In a new review published in Med Research, researchers from Haikou Affiliated Hospital of Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine explore the dual nature of exosomes—highlighting their roles in both tumor promotion and immune modulation. “Exosomes are not just passive carriers,” said Dr. Jiachong Wang, co-corresponding author of the paper. “They actively shape tumor biology by transferring RNAs, proteins, and ...

Announcing Gordian Biotechnology as Tier 5 Sponsor of ARDD 2025

2025-08-07
The University of Copenhagen is excited to announce Gordian Biotechnology as a Tier 5 Sponsor of the 12th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting, the world's largest conference on aging research in the biopharmaceutical industry that will transpire on August 25 - August 29, 2025 on-site at the Ceremonial Hall, University of Copenhagen, and online.  Gordian Biotechnology is a therapeutics company transforming how the industry discovers and develops treatments for age-related diseases. By integrating pooled screening in naturally occurring disease models, single-cell analysis, and in vivo gene therapy, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Genetic testing reduces risks from chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancer patients

UVic research predicts worldwide glacier erosion

A new boost for CryoZoo, Barcelona’s animal cell biobank

Asthma drug Zileuton blocks food allergy reactions in mice

Molecules in the spotlight: Snapshots reveal the eternal dance of particles

What drives anaphylactic response in food allergies

A thoughtful approach to governing emerging quantum technologies

What makes the teeth of chitons iron hard?

New antibody targeting approach, tested in mice, improves distribution and safety of Alzheimer’s immunotherapies

UC Irvine scientist takes a lesson from ultrahard, wear-resistant mollusk teeth

ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials

New scaffold technology helps combat traumatic brain injury by restoring copper balance

Bone metastases cultivate immature immune cells to resist immunotherapy

Liming can help enhance carbon capture in agricultural fields

National study urges expanded vaccine screening in emergency departments

Simple color-changing sensor quickly identifies poisonous gases

Exosomes found to play a double role in tumor growth and immune response

Announcing Gordian Biotechnology as Tier 5 Sponsor of ARDD 2025

Disconnection between brain regions explains why some people don’t enjoy music

An interstellar mission to a black hole? Astrophysicist thinks it’s possible.

Earth’s natural CO2 vacuum cleaners

It's not all about size

Cost-effectiveness of 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccination in US adults

Demographics, lifestyle, comorbidities, prediabetes, and mortality

Climate change: Perito Moreno Glacier retreat has recently accelerated substantially

Population history of the Southern Caucasus

Biomarkers reveal risk of cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes

UVA harnesses AI to improve brain cancer care

MIT imaging tech promises deepest looks yet into living brain tissue at single-cell resolution

City of Hope Research Spotlight, July 2025

[Press-News.org] What makes the teeth of chitons iron hard?
Summary author: Walter Beckwith