"Tuning in" to mollusk shell nacre- and prismatic-associated protein terminal sequences. Implications for biomineralization and the construction of high performance inorganic-organic composites.

The field of biomineralization has expanded over the past decade, and there is now a growing database of information on the molecular participants in nucleation and crystal growth processes in organisms. In particular, we now know that proteins play key roles in nucleation and crystal growth of inorganic solids in Nature. Using biomineralization proteins as inspiration, the material science and nanotechnology fields have now embarked upon the use of phage and bacterial polypeptide screening and expression systems directedagainstbiologicalandartificial inorganicmaterials. This has led to the development of polypeptide sequence libraries which can selective bind, interact, and assemble inorganic solids, as well as regulate the nucleation of these inorganic solids in solution.