Spongin

Spongin, a modified type of collagen protein, forms the fibrous skeleton of most organisms among the phylum Porifera, the sponges. It is secreted by sponge cells known as spongioblasts.[1]

Spongin gives a sponge its flexibility. True spongin is found only in members of the class Demospongiae. Researchers have found over 100,000 types of spongin.[2]

References

  1. Anderson, D. (2001). Invertebrate Zoology. Oxford University Press.
  2. Brusca, R.; Brusca, G. (2003). Invertebrate Zoology. Sinauer Associates. p. 191.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/29/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.