Nucleic Acids as Emerging Regulators of Calcium Phosphate Biomineralization
Abstract
Calcium phosphate biomineralization is a highly regulated process that underlies the formation of vertebrate mineralized tissues. While proteins have long been recognized as the principal regulators of mineral formation, accumulating experimental evidence suggests that nucleic acids may also contribute to this process through mechanisms that remain largely unexplored. Their negatively charged phosphate backbone, molecular structural versatility, and ability to interact with calcium phosphate phases make nucleic acids attractive candidates for regulating mineral nucleation, growth, and phase transformations. In this review, we first summarize the current understanding of physiological calcium phosphate biomineralization, with particular emphasis on the roles of collagen and matrix vesicles in mineral formation as well as factors influencing this process. We then examine the mechanism by which nucleic acids interact with calcium phosphate, highlighting experimental evidence demonstrating nucleic acid adsorption, coprecipitation, and mineral templating. Finally, we discuss the growing evidence supporting the presence of extracellular nucleic acids within mineralized tissues and ectopic mineralization, their diverse biological origins, and their potential contribution to pathological mineralization through mechanisms involving bacteria, extracellular vesicles, cell death, and neutrophil extracellular traps. These observations suggest that nucleic acids should be considered as potential contributors to calcium phosphate biomineralization. Although their precise physiological functions remain poorly understood, integrating nucleic acids into current mechanistic models may refine our understanding of both physiological and pathological mineralization processes, thus opening new avenues for biomarker discovery and therapeutic investigations.
Related
- Phosphate‐Engineered DNA Reporters Boost CRISPR‐Cas12a Trans‐Cleavage for Rapid and Sensitive Nucleic Acid Detection
- Translated Circular RNAs in Glioblastoma: Emerging Regulators of Tumor Progression, Molecular Heterogeneity and Therapeutic Resistance
- Interplay between store-operated calcium entry and mitochondrial phosphate handling modulates force and fatigue during exercise.
- Microbial biofilms promote biomineralization and reduce leaf decay under controlled ionic conditions.
- Recent advances in coarse-grained simulations of nucleic acid condensation
BibTeX
@article{duhalde2026nucleic,
title = {{Nucleic Acids as Emerging Regulators of Calcium Phosphate Biomineralization}},
author = {Fanny Duhalde and Jessem Landoulsi and Xavier Houard},
journal = {FASEB Journal},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1096/fj.202600820rr},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05732181v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Nucleic Acids as Emerging Regulators of Calcium Phosphate Biomineralization
AU - Fanny Duhalde
AU - Jessem Landoulsi
AU - Xavier Houard
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/28
JO - FASEB Journal
DO - 10.1096/fj.202600820rr
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05732181v1
AB - Calcium phosphate biomineralization is a highly regulated process that underlies the formation of vertebrate mineralized tissues. While proteins have long been recognized as the principal regulators of mineral formation, accumulating experimental evidence suggests that nucleic acids may also contribute to this process through mechanisms that remain largely unexplored. Their negatively charged phosphate backbone, molecular structural versatility, and ability to interact with calcium phosphate phases make nucleic acids attractive candidates for regulating mineral nucleation, growth, and phase transformations. In this review, we first summarize the current understanding of physiological calcium phosphate biomineralization, with particular emphasis on the roles of collagen and matrix vesicles in mineral formation as well as factors influencing this process. We then examine the mechanism by which nucleic acids interact with calcium phosphate, highlighting experimental evidence demonstrating nucleic acid adsorption, coprecipitation, and mineral templating. Finally, we discuss the growing evidence supporting the presence of extracellular nucleic acids within mineralized tissues and ectopic mineralization, their diverse biological origins, and their potential contribution to pathological mineralization through mechanisms involving bacteria, extracellular vesicles, cell death, and neutrophil extracellular traps. These observations suggest that nucleic acids should be considered as potential contributors to calcium phosphate biomineralization. Although their precise physiological functions remain poorly understood, integrating nucleic acids into current mechanistic models may refine our understanding of both physiological and pathological mineralization processes, thus opening new avenues for biomarker discovery and therapeutic investigations.
SN - 0892-6638
SN - 1530-6860
ER -