Acidic macromolecules associated with the mineral phase of scleractinian coral skeletons

Macromolecules intimately associated with the mineral phase of two species of scleractinian coral skeletons are extracted in different ways and partially characterized in some detail for the first time. They are shown to contain an assemblage of glycoproteins in which the protein moiety is rich in acidic amino acids and the carbohydrate moiety contains sulfated polysaccharides. In the presence of calcium, the proteins partially adopt the β‐sheet conformation. The properties of these macromolecules are all consistent with their fulfilling some as yet unidentified roles in controlling mineralization. Furthermore, their properties are similar in many respects to macromolecules present in the mineralized tissues of diverse organisms.