Rapid vaterite-mediated shell repair for acid-induced damage in a deep-sea mussel.

Gigantidas haimaensis seals acid-induced shell dissolution porosities within 30 h by secreting and recrystallizing amorphous calcium carbonate into vaterite.

• Why it matters: Deep-sea calcifiers’ molecular mechanisms for repairing calcareous tissues after acid damage are still unclear, despite frequent pulsed acidification in their habitat.
• What they did: In an in situ experiment, the mussels’ repair process was tracked as biologically mediated vaterite formation; mantle-supplied calcium-binding proteins and hydroxyapatite were implicated as calcium and nucleation substrates.
• The result: The rapid vaterite-mediated repair likely helps these mussels withstand pulsed acidification events and broadens understanding of molluscan biomineralization strategies.

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