A red herring in vascular calcification: 'nanobacteria' are protein-mineral complexes involved in biomineralization

作者：Schlieper Georg^*; Krueger Thilo; Heiss Alexander; Jahnen Dechent Willi

来源：Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 2011, 26(11): 3436-3439.

DOI：10.1093/ndt/gfr521

• biomineralization
• nanobacteria
• nanoparticles
• vascular calcification

Biomineralization at pathological extraosseous sites (i.e. vasculature and soft tissues) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. So-called 'nanobacteria' have been described as pathogenic agents causing many diseases including calcification. Initially, their appearance, and having a content consisting of nucleic acids plus proteins and properties of growing structures, suggested that they were living organisms. However, it could be demonstrated that the so-called nanobacteria were in fact mineralizing nanoparticles that contain mineral and non-mineral compounds, that these particles bind to charged molecules and that supersaturation enables in vitro growth of these nanoparticles. Recent data indicate that nanoparticles consisting of protein-mineral complexes can be seen both in vitro and in vivo as precursors of matrix calcification.

• 出版日期2011-11