Identification of conserved proteins from diverse shell matrix proteome in Crassostrea gigas: characterization of genetic bases regulating shell formation

The calcifying shell is an excellent model for studying biomineralization and evolution. However, the molecular mechanisms of shell formation are only beginning to be elucidated in Mollusca. It is known that shell matrix proteins (SMPs) play important roles in shell formation. With increasing data of shell matrix proteomes from various species, we carried out a BLASTp bioinformatics analysis using the shell matrix proteome from Crassostrea gigas against 443 SMPs from nine other species. The highly conserved tyrosinase and chitin related proteins were identified in bivalve. In addition, the relatively conserved proteins containing domains of carbonic anhydrase, Sushi, Von Willebrand factor type A, and chitin binding, were identified from all the ten species. Moreover, 25 genes encoding SMPs were annotated and characterized that are involved in CaCO3 crystallization and represent chitin related or ECM related proteins. Together, data from these analyses provide new knowledge underlying the molecular mechanism of shell formation in C. gigas, supporting a refined shell formation model including chitin and ECM-related proteins.