The avian eggshell is a natural protective envelope that relies on the phenomenon of biomineralization for its formation. The shell is made of calcium carbonate in the form of calcite, which contains hundreds of proteins that interact with the mineral phase controlling its formation and structural organization, and thus determine the mechanical properties of the mature biomaterial. We describe its mineralogy, structure and the regulatory interactions that integrate the mineral and organic constituents during eggshell biomineralization. Main Body. We underline recent evidence for vesicular transfer of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), as a new pathway to ensure the active and continuous supply of the ions necessary for shell mineralization. Currently more than 900 proteins and thousands of upregulated transcripts have been identified during chicken eggshell formation. Bioinformatic predictions address their functionality during the biomineralization process. In addition, we describe matrix protein quantification to understand their role during the key spatially- and temporally- regulated events of shell mineralization. Finally, we propose an updated scheme with a global scenario encompassing the mechanisms of avian eggshell mineralization. With this large dataset at hand, it should now be possible to determine specific motifs, domains or proteins and peptide sequences that perform a critical function during avian eggshell biomineralization. The integration of this insight with genomic data (non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms) and precise phenotyping (shell biomechanical parameters) on pure selected lines will lead to consistently better-quality eggshell characteristics for improved food safety. This information will also address the question of how the evolutionary-optimized chicken eggshell matrix proteins affect and regulate calcium carbonate mineralization as a good example of biomimetic and bio-inspired material design.

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禽蛋壳生物矿化：其结构、矿物学和蛋白质工具包的更新

禽蛋壳是一种天然的保护膜，其形成依赖于生物矿化现象。外壳由方解石形式的碳酸钙制成，其中包含数百种蛋白质，这些蛋白质与控制其形成和结构组织的矿物相相互作用，从而决定成熟生物材料的机械性能。我们描述了在蛋壳生物矿化过程中整合矿物质和有机成分的矿物学、结构和调节相互作用。主体。我们强调了最近关于无定形碳酸钙 (ACC) 囊泡转移的证据，这是确保壳矿化所需离子的活性和持续供应的新途径。目前，在鸡蛋壳形成过程中已鉴定出 900 多种蛋白质和数千种上调转录本。生物信息学预测解决了它们在生物矿化过程中的功能。此外，我们描述了基质蛋白质的量化，以了解它们在壳矿化的关键空间和时间调节事件中的作用。最后，我们提出了一个包含禽蛋壳矿化机制的全球情景更新方案。有了这个庞大的数据集，现在应该可以确定在禽蛋壳生物矿化过程中发挥关键功能的特定基序、结构域或蛋白质和肽序列。将这一见解与基因组数据（非同义单核苷酸多态性）和纯选定品系的精确表型分析（壳生物力学参数）相结合，将导致始终如一的优质蛋壳特性，从而改善食品安全。这些信息还将解决进化优化的鸡蛋壳基质蛋白如何影响和调节碳酸钙矿化的问题，作为仿生和仿生材料设计的一个很好的例子。