Project description:Chitons are marine molluscs that posses a radula, a tongue like appendage containing many rows of microscopic teeth used for feeding. These teeth are hardened through the incorporation of biominerals. Since the original discovery of iron oxide and magnetite in these teeth, a wealth of chemical and structural knowledge has accumulated. The biomineralization process is known to be matrix mediated with precise control of the deposition of a number of different iron and calcium minerals at readily identifiable stages of tooth development. While much is known about the mechanisms of tooth mineralisation, there have been no studies undertaken to identify the genes that regulate this process. This investigation uses microarray technology to analyse the spatial expression of 493 expressed sequence tags (EST) derived from the radula sac of chiton, Acanthopleura hirtosa. A number of ESTs have been deemed significantly differentially expressed in relation to three designated areas of the radula sac. These spatial sections are defined by the variation in biomineral deposits of the radula, being immature radula which lacks any biomineral incorporation, iron deposition and calcium deposition. Additionally, foot muscle was used as a control to specify whether EST expression was specific to the radula and therefore likely involved biomineralization.
