bird's-eye vew ll the orm the tr Peter spiteller cially in recent years. Institut fur Organische Chemie und Biochemiell It is extremely satisfying to realize that genetic Technische Universitat Munchen(Germany) informatio at last DOl:10.1o02/anie.200804895 short time The ni no doubt in my mind that the genetic information that is emerging will contribute substantially to the earch in the area Although tissue for formation will not be fully elucidated on the basis This is the third and most ambi of genetics alone.By definition.biomineralization tious ort by Ed Ind Ba ein the interface between and bic sto pro st a hese,and mineralization in a comprehensive treatment. In the compendium presented here,the high- The first book,Biomineralization:From Biology to lights are,in my opinion,in the attempts to bridge on.appea the gaps be 0n, ially be volume series Handbook of Biomineralization structures and biological structures where all the assembles the various aspects of the subject under action occurs,is still poorly understood.The articles the titles Biol b d b Sch on magnet chc bac touch on these t oblems andar intere constitute an important source of information for In the area of carbonate mineralization.where this rapidly developing and n field. in general much more is known about mechanisms he edit t to cover dge d more suc ully.Th apter b of b an and for alization of the sea urchin larval skelet on fron the results that they have achieved.However,this is development to cell biology,from the gene regu- not really a handbook.A handbook is a compen- latory network to matrix proteins and their fun dium o ned to provid m ion and uch a d m of for tion.Marsh takes a similar approach to the different Take,for description of coccolith calcification.The chapters Proteins"relate the exi on fun of teeth is indeed covered systematically.from the tional matrix macromolecules within a framework formation and structure of teeth to biom chanical of structure function relationships design,to and tre th rege ded to ob f hi 1- n of the bon tior cesses only then can we t rly under tissue and its structure,of how bone is formed,and stand the properties of these fantastically complex what is known about it.That is clearly a significant and sophisticated materals It is fascinating to gap in a ser tha claims to be a s approacn erstan Riomineralization is concerned with evolution ical properties of the tissues is beginnin genetics,molecular biology,cell biology,biochem- (see e.e.g..Fratzl and Gupta.Chapter 23 of Vol 1 stry.biomechar cs.materials science.chemistry. Zaslansky and Weiner,Chapter 13 of Vol.3) mo ar rec conclude onceptual con h all these aspects It thus becomes possible.after alization?",encapsulates the views of Baucrlein ngew.Chem.Int.Ed.2009.48.846-848 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH Co.KGaA,Weinheim www.angewandte.org 847 biologists, pharmaceutical chemists, and nutritional chemists dealing with fungi. Peter Spiteller Institut fr Organische Chemie und Biochemie II Technische Universitt Mnchen (Germany) DOI: 10.1002/anie.200804895 Handbook of Bio￾meralization This is the third and most ambi￾tious effort by Edmund Buerlein and his co-authors to produce a set of multi￾authored books encompassing the vast area of biomineralization in a comprehensive treatment. The first book, Biomineralization: From Biology to Biotechnology and Medical Application, appeared in 2000. A revised and enlarged version appeared in 2004 under a similar title. Now, this new three￾volume series Handbook of Biomineralization assembles the various aspects of the subject under the titles Biological Aspects and Structure Forma￾tion, Biomimetic and Bioinspired Chemistry, and Medical and Clinical Aspects. All these books now constitute an important source of information for this rapidly developing and exciting field. The editors have made a heroic effort to cover all the areas of this vast subject: I am full of admiration for their vast amount of work and for the results that they have achieved. However, this is not really a handbook. A handbook is a compen￾dium of information that is designed to provide comprehensive answers in a certain area. In my opinion it is impossible to achieve such a goal in biomineralization by assembling a collection of manuscripts from different authors. Take, for example, bones and teeth, the two mineralized tissues of medical/clinical importance, which are mainly addressed in the third volume. The subject of teeth is indeed covered systematically, from the formation and structure of teeth to biomechanical design, tooth diseases and treatment, tooth regen￾eration, and finally tissue engineering of teeth. In contrast, there is no general description of the bone tissue and its structure, of how bone is formed, and what is known about it. That is clearly a significant gap in a series of books that claims to be a handbook of biomineralization. Biomineralization is concerned with evolution, genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, biochem￾istry, biomechanics, materials science, chemistry, crystallography, thermodynamics, molecular recog￾nition, structural biology, physiology, and pathol￾ogy. The Handbook of Biomineralization addresses all these aspects. It thus becomes possible, after observing with a birds-eye view all the enormous amount of work reported here, to identify some of the trends that are developing in the area, espe￾cially in recent years. It is extremely satisfying to realize that genetic information is at last becoming available in an area where very little was known, at least in the field of invertebrates, until a very short time ago. There is no doubt in my mind that the genetic information that is emerging will contribute substantially to the advancement of research in the area. Although it is true that genetic factors govern all processes of tissue formation, it is also true that mechanisms of formation will not be fully elucidated on the basis of genetics alone. By definition, biomineralization involves the interface between minerals and biol￾ogy, and a good understanding of both of these, and of their interplay, is needed. In the compendium presented here, the high￾lights are, in my opinion, in the attempts to bridge the gaps between structure, function, morphology, and genetics—a very difficult enterprise indeed, especially because the interface between mineral structures and biological structures, where all the action occurs, is still poorly understood. The articles by Jogler and Schuler on magnetotactic bacteria and by Douglas and co-authors on protein cages touch on these problems and are very interesting. In the area of carbonate mineralization, where in general much more is known about mechanisms, the gap is bridged more successfully. The chapter by Wilt and Ettensohn covers all aspects of biominer￾alization of the sea urchin larval skeleton, from development to cell biology, from the gene regu￾latory network to matrix proteins and their func￾tion, from ion and macromolecule transport to skeletal morphogenesis, and from matrix–mineral interactions to structure and mechanism of forma￾tion. Marsh takes a similar approach to the description of coccolith calcification. The chapters by Arias on “Egg Shell Growth and Matrix Macro￾molecules” and by Marin on “Unusually Acidic Proteins” relate the existing information on func￾tional matrix macromolecules within a framework of structure–function relationships. These efforts represent what is needed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of biomineraliza￾tion processes. Only then can we properly under￾stand the properties of these fantastically complex and sophisticated materials. It is fascinating to observe how, from this approach, an understanding of the biological design that results in the mechan￾ical properties of the tissues is beginning to emerge (see, e.g., Fratzl and Gupta, Chapter 23 of Vol 1; Zaslansky and Weiner, Chapter 13 of Vol. 3). I want to conclude with a conceptual consid￾eration. The first article in the series, entitled “Growth and Form: What is the Aim of Biominer￾alization?”, encapsulates the views of Buerlein Handbook of Biomeraliza￾tion Edited by Edmund Buer￾lein, Peter Behrens, and Matthias Epple. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim 2007. 1269 pp., hardcover E 499.— ISBN 978-3527316410 Angewandte Chemie Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 48, 846 – 848 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim www.angewandte.org 847