UC Irvine

Nature builds multiscale mineral structures with impressive mechanical properties through spatially and temporally orchestrated organic-mineral assembly. One example of regulated mineralization is found in hypermineralized and ultrahard magnetic teeth of chiton, which grind on rock to feed on algae. At early stages of tooth formation, iron oxide deposition is controlled using a chiton-specific radular teeth matrix protein 1 (RTMP1), which is transported into teeth through microvilli. RTMP1 spatially and temporally guides and enhances mineralization on chitinous fibers within the tooth, providing a hard, tough, and strong architecture that enables the organism to perform repetitive abrasive events to survive.