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LeBlanc ARH, Morrell AP, Sirovica S, Al-Jawad M, Labonte D, D'Amore DC, Clemente C, Wang S, Giuliani F, McGilvery CM, Pittman M, Kaye TG, Stevenson C, Capon J, Tapley B, Spiro S, Addison O. Iron-coated Komodo dragon teeth and the complex dental enamel of carnivorous reptiles. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1711-1722. [PMID: 39048730 PMCID: PMC11383799 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02477-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are the largest extant predatory lizards and their ziphodont (serrated, curved and blade-shaped) teeth make them valuable analogues for studying tooth structure, function and comparing with extinct ziphodont taxa, such as theropod dinosaurs. Like other ziphodont reptiles, V. komodoensis teeth possess only a thin coating of enamel that is nevertheless able to cope with the demands of their puncture-pull feeding. Using advanced chemical and structural imaging, we reveal that V. komodoensis teeth possess a unique adaptation for maintaining their cutting edges: orange, iron-enriched coatings on their tooth serrations and tips. Comparisons with other extant varanids and crocodylians revealed that iron sequestration is probably widespread in reptile enamels but it is most striking in V. komodoensis and closely related ziphodont species, suggesting a crucial role in supporting serrated teeth. Unfortunately, fossilization confounds our ability to consistently detect similar iron coatings in fossil teeth, including those of ziphodont dinosaurs. However, unlike V. komodoensis, some theropods possessed specialized enamel along their tooth serrations, resembling the wavy enamel found in herbivorous hadrosaurid dinosaurs. These discoveries illustrate unexpected and disparate specializations for maintaining ziphodont teeth in predatory reptiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron R H LeBlanc
- Centre for Oral, Clinical & Translational Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Alexander P Morrell
- Centre for Oral, Clinical & Translational Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Slobodan Sirovica
- Centre for Oral, Clinical & Translational Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
- Centre for Oral Bioengineering, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | - David Labonte
- Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Christofer Clemente
- School of Science Engineering and Technology, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia
| | - Siyang Wang
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Finn Giuliani
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Michael Pittman
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Thomas G Kaye
- Foundation for Scientific Advancement, Sierra Vista, AZ, USA
| | | | - Joe Capon
- Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK
| | | | - Simon Spiro
- Wildlife Health Services, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK
| | - Owen Addison
- Centre for Oral, Clinical & Translational Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Machoy-Mokrzyńska A, Kupnicka P, Barczak K, Korbecki J, Gutowska I, Sobolewska E, Chlubek D, Baranowska-Bosiacka I. Distribution of Elements in Beaver (Castor fiber) Tooth Enamel as a Sign of Environmental Adaptation: the Special Role of Fe, Co, Mg, and Fluorides (F -). Biol Trace Elem Res 2023; 201:728-738. [PMID: 35551604 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-022-03186-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the distribution of elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, P, Zn, Na, K, Cu, Cr, Mo, Co, Se) analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and fluorides (F-) determined potentiometrically using an ion-selective electrode in the enamel of European beaver (Castor fiber) teeth. Material for the study was tooth enamel collected from lower jaws from the skulls of the animals borrowed from museum collections (animals inhabited north-western Poland). The results of our study indicate the important role of F- as an element that can affect the hardness and strength of beaver tooth enamel. Critical to the function of beaver teeth (i.e., shearing and crushing wood) is the presence of elements such as Fe in the central incisor labial aspect (orange layer of the incisor enamel), Mg in the inner side of the incisor enamel, and Co and F- in the enamel of the molars. Thanks to the high content of these elements, the enamel is durable and the teeth are adapted to the nutritional and ecological characteristics of this mammalian species. Our study on the distribution of elements in the enamel of beaver teeth may also be important for the understanding of the enamel mineralization processes, determining how elements change the properties of the materials, and exploring the relationship between the environment and life history of the beaver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Machoy-Mokrzyńska
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Patrycja Kupnicka
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Barczak
- Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Pomeranian Medical University, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Jan Korbecki
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Izabela Gutowska
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Ewa Sobolewska
- Department of Dental Prosthetics, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Dariusz Chlubek
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Irena Baranowska-Bosiacka
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72 Av., 70-111, Szczecin, Poland.
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Delaunois Y, Huby A, Malherbe C, Eppe G, Parmentier É, Compère P. Microstructural and compositional variation in pacu and piranha teeth related to diet specialization (Teleostei: Serrasalmidae). J Struct Biol 2020; 210:107509. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2020.107509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Dumont M, Tütken T, Kostka A, Duarte M, Borodin S. Structural and functional characterization of enamel pigmentation in shrews. J Struct Biol 2014; 186:38-48. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2014.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2013] [Revised: 02/06/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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