Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 February 2016
Nacre (mother of pearl) is an attractive model for the development of newmaterials. Its sheet structure of alternating layers of calcium carbonate and anorganic matrix confers it highly desirable properties such as high toughness andstrength. In this study, we produce a nacre-inspired composite material usingonly bacterially-produced components. Calcium carbonate is crystallized via theaction of ureolytic bacteria. After each crystallization event, we applybacterially produced γ-polyglutamate (PGA) to the sample, whichpromotes layering compared to the PGA-free control. We show that the combinationof these two compounds yields a layered material reminiscent of nacre, showing away towards the biotechnological production of new, nacre-inspiredmaterials.