GSDM's Dr. Erdjan Salih Uncovers Missing Link
The Journal of Biological Chemistry recently published an article titled, “The Isolation and Characterization of Glycosylated Phosphoproteins From Herring Fish Bones,” written by Associate Professor Dr. Erdjan Salih and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston, Drs. Hi-Yan Zhou and Melvin Glimcher.
The article is based on a research discovery made by the trio which, for the first time, isolates and characterizes two major bone extracellular matrix (ECM) phosphoproteins from herring fish bones. Until now, studies of ECM phosphoproteins have been limited to avian and mammal bones. The ECM phosphoproteins found in the herring fish bones provide the missing evolutionary link in biomineralization between contemporary vertebrates, such as modern-day humans and other mammals, and the first vertebrates, present in ancient times.
According to Dr. Salih, “The first vertebrates to evolve were fish, some 400 million years ago—pre-dating dinosaurs and contemporary mammals, including humans. By isolating and characterizing two major ECM phosphoproteins from fish bones, we’ve provided the first evidence that the biological calcification has common fundamental mechanistic bases for biomineralization throughout vertebrate species and evolution.”
The full article can be found here.