Structural and Functional Analysis of the Amorphous Calcium Carbonate-Binding Protein Paramyosin in the Shell of the Pearl Oyster, Pinctada fucata

Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is an important precursor phase for the formation of aragonite crystals in the shells of Pinctada fucata. To identify the ACC-binding protein in the inner aragonite layer of the shell, extracts from the shell were used in the ACC-binding experiments. Semiquantitative analyses using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed that paramyosin was strongly associated with ACC in the shell. We discovered that paramyosin, a major component of the adductor muscle, was included in the myostracum, which is the microstructure of the shell attached to the adductor muscle. Purified paramyosin accumulates calcium carbonate and induces the prism structure of aragonite crystals, which is related to the morphology of prism aragonite crystals in the myostracum. Nuclear magnetic resonance measurements revealed that the Glu-rich region was bound to ACC. Activity of the Glu-rich region was stronger than that of the Asp-rich region. These results suggest that paramyosin in the adductor muscle is involved in the formation of aragonite prisms in the myostracum.