Colloid assembly and transformation (CAT): The relationship of PILP to biomineralization

The field of biomineralization has undergone a revolution in the past 25 years, which paralleled the discovery by Gower of a polymer-induced liquid-precursor (PILP) mineralization process. She proposed this in vitro model system might be useful for studying the role biopolymers play in biomineralization; however, the ramifications of this pivotal discovery were slow to be recognized. This was presumably because it utilized simple polypeptide additives, and at that time it was not recognized that the charged proteins intimately associated with biominerals are often intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). Over the years, many enigmatic biomineral features have been emulated with this model system, too many to be mere coincidence. Yet the PILP system continues to be underacknowledged, probably because of its namesake, which indicates a “liquid precursor”, while we now know the phase appears to have viscoelastic character. Another factor is the confusing semantics that arose from the discovery of multiple “non-classical crystallization” pathways. This review suggests a more relevant terminology for the polymer-modulated reactions is “colloid assembly and transformation (CAT)”, which we believe more accurately captures the key stages involved in both biomineralization and the PILP process. The PILP model system has helped to decipher the key role that biopolymers, namely the IDPs, play in modulating biomineralization processes, which was not readily accomplished in living biological systems. Some remaining challenges in understanding the organic–inorganic interactions involved in biomineralization are discussed, which further highlight how the PILP model system may prove invaluable for studying the simple, yet complex, CAT crystallization pathway.