Surviving Mass Extinctions through Biomineralized DNA |
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| Authors: | Pau Turon Prof Dr Jordi Puiggalí Dr Oscar Bertrán Prof Dr Carlos Alemán |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Research and Development, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Management, B. Braun Surgical, S.A. Ctra. de Terrassa, 121, 08191 Rubí, Barcelona (Spain);2. Departament d'Enginyeria Química, E.T.S. d'Enginyeria Industrial de Barcelona, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona;3. Center for Research in Nano‐Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Campus Sud, Edifici C', C/Pasqual i Vila s/n, Barcelona 08028 (Spain);4. Departament de Física Aplicada, EEI, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Av. Pla de la Massa, 8, 08700 Igualada (Spain) |
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| Abstract: | Even in the worst of conditions, such as those which occurred during mass extinction events, life on Earth never totally stopped. Aggressive chemical and physical attacks able to sterilize or poison living organisms occurred repeatedly. Surprisingly, DNA was not degraded, denatured or modified to the point of losing the capability of transferring the genetic information to the next generations. After the events of mass extinction life was able to survive and thrive. DNA was passed on despite being an extremely fragile biomolecule. The potential implications of hydroxyapatite protection of DNA are discussed in this Concept article including how DNA acts as a template for hydroxyapatite (HAp) formation, how cell death can trigger biomineralization, and how DNA can be successfully released from HAp when the conditions are favorable for life. |
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| Keywords: | biomineralization DNA hydroxyapatite hydroxyolite mass extinction |
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