artículo 1 bioelementology

7/28/2019 Artculo 1 Bioelementology

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Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology 25S (2011) S3S10

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology

j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . d e / j t e m b

FOURTH INTERNATIONAL FESTEM SYMPOSIUM

Bioelementology as an interdisciplinary integrative approach in life sciences:Terminology, classification, perspectives

Anatoly V. Skalny a,b,

a Institute of Bioelementology, Orenburg State University, Pobedy Avenue 13, Orenburg 460352, Russiab Federal State Scientific Institution Institute of Toxicology, Federal Medico-Biological Agency of Russia, Bekhtereva str. 1, St. Petersburg 192019, Russia

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:

Received 18 September 2010Accepted 26 October 2010

Keywords:

Bioelement

Bioelementology

Life science

Integrative concept

a b s t r a c t

Thearticle presents theproposed concept of bioelements and thebasic postulates of bioelementologyfor

assessing anddiscussing them in thescientific community. Itis known thatchemicalelements exist in the

organism notby themselves, butin certainspecies having close interaction with other components. Such

units are proposed to be calledbioelements:the elementaryfunctioning units of livingmatter, which are

biologically active complexes of chemical elements as atoms, ions or nanoparticles with organic com-

pounds of exogenous or biogenous origin. The scientific discipline that studies bioelements, is proposed

to be called bioelementology. This discipline could lay the foundation for the integration of bioorganic

chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, biophysics, molecular biology and other parts of life sciences.

2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Despite evident expectations that a great deal of future out-

standing discoveries will be made in the interdisciplinary areas

of science, there are still language barriers between the his-torically separate spheres of chemistry, biology, medicine and

physics. Thus, it is one of the aims . . . to catalyse mutual under-

standing.

(Metal Ions in Life Sciences, 2010)

At present, scientific and educational literature on traditional

bioinorganicchemistry is rather goodand extensively describesthe

elementary structure, physical properties and functions of isolated

biological molecules such as proteins and enzymes, containing or

interacting with one or several chemical elements [13]. However,

there is much less information about the functional significance of

chemical elements in living organisms in the ways in which these

elements participate in the processes of life, i.e., in vivo, as well as

about the meaning and significance of selection of the elements

(and their isotopes), the processes of absorption (binding), trans-

port andfinal localizationin cells, theregulation of these processes

and control of their interactions in a complex set of the holistic

system [4].

The biological role of chemical elements has experienced inten-

sive studyingin the secondhalfof the twentieth century. There was

expressed the essentiality of about 20 chemical elements to liv-

Corresponding author.

E-mail address: [email protected]

ing organisms, deepened the knowledge of toxic and carcinogenic

properties of a number of trace elements, created tens of thou-

sands of drugs and dietary supplements containing trace elements,

and food products fortified with them. But the lack of multidis-

ciplinary approach has been the Achilles heel of biological traceelement research [5].

However, we strongly believe that new developments in this

direction are possible on the basis of synergetic achievements of

bioorganic and bioinorganic chemistry, the disciplines which have

played a distinct positive role in modern biological chemistry and,

atthesametime,tosomeextentanegativeoneduetotheartificial

division of the unified science, investigating the biological role of

allthe chemical elements from organogens (O, H, N, C) to ultratrace

elements, as well as proteomics, genomics, transcriptomics, met-

allomics and other omics, rapidly developing in recent decades.

The desire to integrate the organic and inorganic approach

in studying the biological role of chemical elements is observed

in a number of fundamental works [6,7]. We [811] put forward

and develop the concept of bioelements and bioelementology asan integrative scientific direction.

This article is dedicated to the presentation of our concept of

bioelements andthe basicpostulates of bioelementology forassess-

ing and discussing them in the scientific community. The basic

terms, the idea and classification of bioelementology are presented

below.

Bioelements: proposed basic terminology and classification

Well,the mainterm of bioelementology is bioelement. In liter-

ature we found the term bioelement. Different authors are using

0946-672X/$ see front matter 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

doi:10.1016/j.jtemb.2010.10.005
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S4 A.V. Skalny / Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology 25S (2011) S3S10

Table 1

Classification of bioelements.

Primary Simple C, H, N, O, P, S, Si, Ca (structural)

K, Na, Ca, Cl, Mg (electrolytic)

Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, Cr, Mo, Se a , Sna , Fa , Ia , Nia , Va , Bb

(enzymatic)

H2 O, O2, N2, etc.

Complicated Nucleic acids (deoxyadenosine, deoxycytidine,

deoxyguanosine, deoxythymidine, adenosine, cytidine,

guanosine, uridine)Glycans (fucose, galactose, glucose, glucuronic acid,

mannose, N-acetylgalactosamine, N-acetylglucosamine,

neuraminic acid, xylose, nononic acid, octulosonic acid,

arabinose, arabinofuranose, colitose, fructose,

galactofuranose, galacturonic acid, glucolactilic acid,

heptose, legionaminic acid, mannuronic acid,

N-acetylfucosamine, N-acetylgalacturonic acid,

N-acetylmannosamine, N-acetylmannosaminuronic acid,

N-acetylmuramic acid, N-acetylperosamine,

N-acetylquinovosamine, perosamine, pseudaminic acid,

rhamnose, talose)

Proteins (alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, asparagine,

cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, histidine,

isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine,

proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, valine)

Lipids (fatty acyls, glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids,

polyketides, prenol lipids, saccharolipids, sphingolipids,

sterol lipids)

Secondary Complicated (components of bioelemental

systems, omes)

Metabolome (components)

Metallome

Lipidome

Proteome

Genome

Transcriptome

(. . .?)

Note: Structural, electrolytic and enzymatic bioelements are separated according to Sansoni and Iyengar [17].a Essential only for animals.b Essential only for plants.

it mainly as a synonym to chemical element which plays some

biological role or exists in the living body. Why did we name

elements chemical but not physical only following tradition,because chemistry as science formed much earlier than nuclear

physics and physics of elementary particles? The elements have

chemical and even more physical properties, but it is nonsense to

separate special biological elements. The active use of the term

bioelement by me and my followers in recent years in scientific

articles [9,11], books [10,12,13], textbooks [14,15], and reports at

international scientific meetings showed that part of the scientists,

especially chemists, feel a certain rejection of it because of the

association with the term chemical element. Nevertheless, it is

difficult to find another term which would be more apt and appar-

entlysatisfying for mostscientists. In fact, elementis a multivocal

word. We comfortably use expressions electrical element, heat-

ing element, or data element. So, bioelement can be a similar

case.It is known that the chemical element exists in the organism

not by itself, but in close interaction with other components. There

are no any particular elements in the cell that are solely typical of

living nature. On the atom level there are no differences between

the chemical composition of organic and inorganic matter. The dif-

ferences are found on the higher, molecular level of organization.

Thus, the position and classification of the chemical elements in

the Periodic System of Elements (PSE) does not permit any state-

ment tobe made about theirfunctionalessentiality or theiracute or

chronic toxicity for living organisms. This is due to the fact that the

Periodic System is based on purely physicochemical aspects [16].

Therefore B. Markert developed an idea about a Biological System

of Elements (BSE), which primarily considers aspects of basic bio-

chemical and physiological research. As the author said, Biological

processes on the molecular level are frequently based on physical

and chemical conditions. . .. However, these physical and chemi-

cal regularities are frequently modified in biological systems. TheBSE of B. Markert is obtained from data on correlation analysis,

physiological function of individual elements in the living organ-

ism,evolutionaldevelopmentout of theinorganic environmentand

with respect to their uptake by the living organism as a neutral

molecule or charged ion.

Atoms, atomic nuclei, elementary particles and fields that bind

them, which have independent significance at the physicochemi-

cal stage of evolution, after being included in biological molecules

lose this self-importance and play their role in the ensemble that I

callbioelement, where everything is interdependent, more compli-

cated and at the same time more vulnerable to external influence.

Since the general conditions of biological evolution (the composi-

tion of biosphere), are continuously changing, a set of bioelements

in a living organism can also change. This distinguishes themfrom chemical elements as objects of physicochemical stage, which

remain identical to themselves along the course of evolution. So,

bioelement is the elementalfunctioning unitof living matter, which

is a biologicallyactive complex of chemical elements as atoms,ions

andnanoparticles withorganic compounds of exogenous(primary)

or biogenous (secondary) origin (this is Postulate 1).

It should be noted that our views on the definition of bioele-

ments in recent years also underwent a considerable evolution

[811]. Initially, me and my colleague professor Rudakov imag-

ine bioelements as chemical elements which constantly occur in

the body, are necessary for its functioning and exhibiting biolog-

ical properties (i.e., new, non-chemical and physical properties,

such as the bodys need for the element, the toxicity of the ele-

mentfor the body, synergismand antagonism within the organism)


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A.V. Skalny / Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology25S (2011) S3S10 S5

Table 2

The fundamental main characteristics of chemical elements and bioelements.

Chemical element Bioelement

There in the biosphere and beyond. Weight is virtually unlimited. There mainly in biosphere. Outside biosphere, existence is temporary or

impossible. Weight limited.

No quantitative limits. The quantitative limit exists (depends on the space of the biosphere), as space

available for organisms is limited.

Limit of bioelements in the mass of life is constant in the course of geological

time.

Exists in 20003000 species of minerals and corresponding chemical

compounds.

Exists in millions of biological compounds.

Involved in formation of biologically inert natural objects by physico-chemical

and geological processes, regardless of the previously existed natural objects.

Like a living organism can be born only by another living organism, the new

bioelement appears in biochemical transformations of the previous

compounds (living objects, containing bioelements). In the course of

geological time, some qualitative changes in forms of bioelements happen,

which lead to the evolution of species or loss of some of them.

Its formation may occur in living bodies, varying in its manifestations and

giving inert natural bodies elements incorporated in living natural body

(e.g., concretions in kidneys).

Bioelements are formed not only during natural biochemical transformations

of other living bodies, containing bioelements, but can also be created as a

result of human activities (industrial synthesis of bioelements, biotech

processes) from abiotic substances or other bioelements (from simple to

complicated).

The process of turning abioelements into inorganic matter, as the processes

that created the inert natural object, is reversible in time.

Formation of bioelement (i.e., form of existence of a chemical element in the

biosphere), as well as the creation of a natural living body, is process

irreversible in time.

Number of elements as components of inert natural objects does not dependon size of the planet, but is determined by the properties of planetary matter

by energy.

Number of bioelements and number of living natural bodies are limited by thesize of the biosphere (Earth).

Modified from ideas of V.I. Vernadsky, 2002 about abiotic and biotic matter.

[11]. At that moment we determined bioelementology as scientific

and practical direction, studying the composition, content, rela-

tions and interaction of chemical elements and their compounds

in livingsystems.At the same time among bioelements we initially

attributed onlyorganogens,macroelements andessentialtrace ele-

ments. However, the deepening into this problem demonstrated

the insufficiency of such ideas.

Later [9] I based the definition and subdivision of bioelements

on two columns: the first is the classification of chemical ele-ments proposed by Sansoni and Iyengar [17], who, in my opinion,

quitecorrectly in terms of biological functions divided the chemical

elements into structural, electrolytic and enzymatic (see Markert

[16]). The second is the notion of building blocks of life by Marth

[18], with the necessary additions from my point of view, namely

the separation of the group critically vital simple molecules such

as H2O, O2, H2, N2, etc. At the same time, some omes are systems

(or ensembles) of closely related bioelements. Since the synthesis

of secondary bioelements becamepossible for the first time only in

the protocell,we have attributed genome (DNA) and transcriptome

(RNA) to the secondary (complicated)bioelements.The generalized

classification of bioelements is presented in Table 1.

In principle, bioelements include any chemical structures found

in living nature but do not possess a set of fundamental propertiesof living things themselves: metabolism, variability, reproduction

and heredity. Primarily, these are organogens (C, H, N, O), P, S and

representatives of four classes of small organic molecules which

compose the cells: amino acids, nucleotides, sugars, fatty acids,

and coordination structures, aquated ions of vital macro and trace

elements and water as well.

Bioelement is not a chemical element inside a molecular

compound, but it is a temporarily formed biocomplex, whereas

the chemical element is bound by a covalent (chelate) bond to

the organic molecule. They should not be considered separately,

because, interacting,togetherthey produce biological effect of new

quality [19].

If a chemical element is a physicochemical unit of the mat-

ters evolution, then a bioelement is a precursor of a biological

unit, which has physicochemical nature. Fundamental differences

between chemical elements and their compounds in abiogenic

media and bioelements are described in Table 2.

Bioelements can continuously form from ionic compounds

when entering the cell. Inside the cell, biopolymers and their com-

plexes create a complicated, coordinated and regulated system for

the transformation of substances. The cell is the main place of nat-

ural birth of secondary bioelements and their destruction.

According to modern views, life processes cannot occur out-side the cell. Therefore, the cell is considered the smallest quantum

of life, which, for managing its internal parameters and perform-

ing cellcell interactions, use information, energy and substances,

including bioelements they obtain from the environment. Bioele-

ment is yet a substance. A cell (organism) is already a being. In

our opinion (Fig. 1), bioelements are precursors of living matter, a

successful combination of which, particularly of polymerion reac-

tions running autocatalytically, led to the formation of cells (this is

Postulate 2).

We propose to call the assembly of bioelements bioelemen-

tome unlike elementome as an assembly of chemical elements

and their compounds. Bioelementome is a particular continuum

of molecules for the maintenance of biological units of evolution,

possessing the ability to control the process, and biological objects(this is Postulate 3).

However, when considering the biological role of bioelements,

we should clearly distinguish two questions. The first is a ques-

tion of initial formation and participation of bioelements in the

originof life. Thesecond is a question concerning the role of bioele-

ments in the modern biosphere, at the anthropogenic stage of its

development. i.e., one should separate the role of bioelements dur-

ing the early formation of the biosphere, and the modern role of

bioelements. While before and during the early formation of the

biosphere bioelements formed by the exchange synthesis or came

from the outside universe, now an increasingly significant role is

passing to biogenous synthesis of bioelements by living organisms.

According to modern ideas, the origin of life on Earth was ini-

tiated from simple physicalchemical substances and phenomena,


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Fig. 1. Structural levels of the matter.

By Yu.N. Orlov [20], expanded by A.V. Skalny).

whose participants are always atoms of the five major compo-

nents of biological molecules (C, H, N, O, P) and a set of other

chemical elements. Over billions of years, the atoms connecting

with each other under certain conditions (climate, water avail-

ability, etc.) by different types of bonds (ionic, covalent, metallic,

molecular, hydrogen, etc.) produced the most stable compounds

capable of copying themselves.

Currently in the scientific literature a number of hypothesesof life origin are presented [7,2125]. All these ideas are in their

infancy, and none of the hypotheses are transformed even in the-

ory [26]. But,fromour point of view, one thing isclear: the originof

life is basedon theformationof itsprecursorswhich themselves are

necessary but not sufficient conditions for the emergence of life as

a biological phenomenon. These particular quasi-living or pre-

living molecules we propose to call bioelements (primary ones)

(this is Postulate 4).

Primary bioelements once produced the first protocell LUCA

[24] or probiont[27] a hypotheticalprimaryorganismwhichorig-

inatedall the moderndiversity of life on Earth,contained,interalia,

the macromolecules (pro-proteins and pro-DNA) and acquired the

ability to reproduce itself[27].

Primary bioelements existed long before the emergence of life;

they had the highest resistance to external conditions due to its

simplicity.

Some of the bioelements became components of active centres

in enzymes, dramatically accelerating the evolution of life due to

the formationof metabolicpathways. Bioelements are components

andlegacyof theprimordial soup,fromseparate ions to H2O,CO2,

O2, glucose and other sugars, amino acids and proto-RNA.

Electric discharges, electromagnetic fields, ultraviolet and visi-

ble light, gases these are the conditions (environment) in which

bioelements can unite and turn into the living.

We call these simple bioelements thefirst-order bioelements or

organogens that produce under certain conditions the first organic

molecule (DNA, RNA, ATP?) [7,27]. These bioelements together

with Ca constitute 99% of the human body mass. It is believed

that only certain non-metals C, N, O, S and Se are able to create

stable polymeric structures in normal conditions of contemporary

environment[4]. These non-metals form strong bonds withcarbon,

and therefore are able to encode information in the form of certain

sequences of atoms and functional groups. They can easily share

electrons of the outer shell to atoms of elements not only from

the mentioned list, but also from other groups of the Mendeleevs

Periodic System, including metals, forming compounds with ionic,covalent or donoracceptor bonds. These elements form functional

groups of bioligands, forming coordination compounds with met-

als.

These functional groups can rather easily form coordination

compounds with metals mainly of the III and IV periods of Peri-

odic System: Na, K, Mg, Ca, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Mo the

elements of the V period as an exception. Only these chemical ele-

ments have mostlythe same size as atoms,as non-metals, and have

no obvious steric constraints toward the formation of coordination

compounds [3].

The above-mentioned chemical elements of the III and IV peri-

odsof the Periodic Systemplay differentbiological roles [12]. Alkali

metalsK, Na play a dominant role in maintainingelectrolytehome-

ostasis, in providing functions of messengers. Transition metals in

accordance with their abundance and characteristics of the elec-

tron shells take part in active centres of energy exchange enzymes

and in cyclic redox reactions [3].

Thus, the course of chemical evolution has selected the key

molecules which provided emergence and existence of pri-

mary organisms: these are nitrogenous bases and nucleic acids,

amino acids, peptides, proteins, mono, oligo and polysaccharides,

carotenoids, fatty acids, porphyrin structure and, the main thing

from our point of view, complexes of these molecules with transi-

tion metals.

The complexation provided a transfer of electrons and protons

in enzymatic systems. It solved the problem of energy for organic

life. About 4 billion years ago the first living cells were formed and

biochemical homogeneity of living beings was achieved. The cells


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containeda matrix system, a set of catalysts surrounded by a mem-

brane, and used organic molecules from the environment as the

sources of energy and carbon.

The biological stage of evolution has come.

Thus, as a result of chemical evolution on the Earth there

appeared the pre-biological organic world [28], a variety of living

systems, which consistsof thesame set of molecules(bioelements),

work by the same laws, have the metabolism based on the same

principles, andthe system of homeostasis thatcan control the flowsof food, energy and information.

. . . the part of history preceding the emergence of the sim-

plest organism is under a tight veil of secrecy. Physics, as well

as molecular biology and biochemistry are powerless to over-

come the conflict between their basic laws and the need to

simultaneously haveboth an enzyme thatcontrols thesynthesis

of informational molecules (DNA or RNA) and these molecules

themselves to encode the synthesis of the enzyme that controls

their synthesis [28].

The biological evolution has led to a sharp increase in mass and

diversity of the living substance on the planet, including formation

of new chemical compounds and molecules, the novel (secondary)

bioelements (in cells) (this is Postulate 5).

The biosphere appeared as an open thermodynamic system in

which some secondary bioelements can disappear and others can

appear, while the set of primary bioelements progenitors of life

is likely to remain mainly stable.

Simple bioelements produced four fundamental components

of cellular life, which, according to Marth [18], are divided into

68 molecular building blocks (building blocks of life), i.e., the

simplest bioelements formed more complicated, macromolecular

bioelements.

Following this logic, we propose to subdivide bioelements into

simple (atoms, ions and water as the universal solvent), and com-

plicated ones, consisting of the above-mentioned 68 molecules (8

of them are nucleosides, which compose DNA and RNA, 20 are nat-

uralamino acids necessaryfor protein synthesis, at least32 glycans,

8 types of lipids, see Table 1) [18] (this is Postulate 6).Theabove-mentioned (a)simplest(H, C, O, N, P, S, vital chemical

elements, evolutionarily selected by cells from the environment to

supply biological functions) and (b) derivative (the 68 molecules,

water, oxygen, etc.) bioelements we propose to call primary

bioelements, respectively, simple (a) and complicated (b). Primary

bioelements are, in essence, pre-biological elements or prebiotic

[29]. Other bioelements are likely secondary, because for their for-

mation the primary bioelements were selected by cells from

the extracellular environment in the process of evolution for per-

forming specific regulatory functions (this is Postulate 7). It is very

important for understanding the biological role of chemical ele-

ments, which is determined not so much by a chemical element as

such, as by itschemical species in the body. i.e., the talk about a spe-

cific role of a chemical element in livingorganism has no biologicalmeaning. The biological meaning is in its chemical variety.

For example, during photosynthesis there formed bioelements:

organic compounds, and oxygen. Bioelements provide not only

building material for the living matter, but also the energy to

maintain body functions. The content of chemical elements such

as C, N, O, H, S, P (in simple and complex molecules) in a living

organism is the most stable, since they are part of its basis, the

matrix of the livingmatter or organism. In turn, thecontentof trace

elements and especially ultratrace elements in living organisms is

highly dependent on living conditions, nutrition, and the state of

the organism.

Thus, bioelements can be subdivided into primary, i.e., those

which could exist before the origin of life, and secondary ones,

i.e., those which have formed as producers of living organisms.

This division is necessary for us to better understand the nature

and role of bioelements. For example, the fact that life is a self-

sustaining process that can produce raw material for new living

structures. This agrees with the theory of natural self-organization

of pre-biological processes by Eigen [30] and ideas of Prigogine [31]

about self-organization in open systems.

Based on the ideas of Kaznacheev [32], we can consider

bioelements the internal condition (medium) for the existence

of biological systems, whereas electromagnetic components can

be considered the external condition (environment). Biosphere is

an assembly of bioelements and living organisms existing under

permanent regulatory influence of physico-chemical factors of ter-

restrial and cosmic origin.

Let us consider the creation of a secondary bioelement from

metals (as adapted from Kriss et al. [33]).

Bioelements:

a) aqua-ions of alkali metals;

b) aqua-ions and relatively unstable complexes with different lig-

ands of alkaline earth metals;

c) complexes (of different strength) of transition metal ions with

relatively simple ligands (amino acids, carbohydrates, carboxylic

acids, etc.) that form membrane-transport forms of metals.

The creation of membrane transport forms of metals in the

digestive tract is the first stage of the formation of secondary

bioelements the extracellular stage (where low molecular weight

metalligand complexes and aqua-ions precursors of true bioele-

ments are formed).

Metal ions or their simple complexes, passed through the mem-

brane, remain inside the cell or (transition metal ions) interactwith

transferrins high-molecular transport proteins.This is the stage II

(intracellular).

Metal ion in the form of aqua-ion, low-molecular or metal-

bound transferrin, reacts with a protein, nucleotide or nucleic acid,

and being included in this metal complex, performs its basic (bio-

logical) function. Most often, metal ions interact with apoenzyme,forming metalloenzymes, or activate enzymes without being a part

of their active centres.

Metal ions with proteins may form metalloproteins for other

functions. Thus, the function of kalmodulin changes when it forms

a complex with calcium. Iron ion in haem, binding to the globin,

turns the latter into myoglobin or haemoglobin.This is the stage III.

With time, metalloproteins become decomposed, remnants of

the proteins are eliminated from the organism, and metal ions are

either also eliminated, or included again in the metabolic chain.

This is the stage IV of the bioelement formation.

Bioelemental analysis is the analysis of bioelements in living

systems and their environment, in contrast to elemental analysis,

which is an analysis of chemical elements in all media including

biological fluids and tissues (this isPostulate 8

).

Bioelementology as an integrative science

We believe that the developing concept of bioelements lays the

foundation for the integration of bioorganic chemistry, bioinor-

ganic chemistry, biophysics, molecular biology and other parts of

life sciences (Fig. 2), for reasons of their hierarchical structuriza-

tion, subdividing them(after the integration)into the pre-biology

and biology. The personal experience of existence and develop-

mentof theChair of Nutritiology andBioelementology, theInstitute

of Bioelementology, founded by the author in 2003 at Oren-

burg State University, the debates at the International symposium

Bioelements and on the pages of thematic supplements Bioele-

mentologiya to the journal Vestnik of Orenburg State University,


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Fig. 2. The bioelementology, an integrative scheme.

as well as the discussion at II RUSTEM Congress (Tver, 2008) and

IV FESTEM Symposium (St. Petersburg, 2010) have convinced us of

the timeliness and advisability of bioelementology. However, we

are aware of the necessity to discuss new terms introducing into

scientific use or modifications of already known terms.

In recent years, along with the evolution of our knowledge and

understanding of bioelements, the definitions of bioelementology

evolved [911]. Here we try to define bioelementology from our

current point of view:

Bioelementology is a science, which can unite all the omics,

probably including genomics. It would be great to call such unify-

ing discipline biomics, however this term already exists. Authorsof the term genomics, McKusick and Riddle, in the editorial arti-

cle to the first issue of the journal Genomics have explained the

introduction of the new term as follows: . . .logies are very aca-

demic, while . . .omics are more aggressive and democratic [34]

in style of live matter studying.

I am pleased to note that since 2010 in Russia the Insti-

tute of Biochemical Genetics, Ural Scientific Center, Russian

Academy of Sciences has issued the electronic journal Biomics

[http://ibg.anrb.ru/biomics.html]. The founders of this issue con-

sider biomics as a synonym of modern biology. According to

the editorial board, once it happens that part of the root, suffix and

the ending omics have become an integral part of a series of new

biological disciplines, thispart of theroot, suffixand theendingmay

unite a whole group of biological sciences which apply methods of

physicochemical biology in their researches. Although the authors

didnot aimto introducea newscientific term biomics, they actu-

ally, and concurrently with my own publication [9], came to the

opinion about the appropriateness and timeliness of integration of

the omics.

Also, from Wikipedia we know, that biomics is the biological

study of biomes, and the processing of data, such as ecological

communities of plants, animals and soil organisms.

Traditionally, biomics is a part of biogeography, ecosystems

and habitats research. In molecular biology, biomics uses bioin-

formatics approaches to collectively analyze diverse biome data.

A biome may contain very large scale omics information, such asmetagenome and pangenome where genomic sequences are mass

produced. So, bioelementology could be called biomics sensu lato.

It seems to me that the idea of BSE is very interesting, but from the

standpoint of bioelementology is not very productive, as it covers

an important, but only preliminary part of the problem, isolating

chemical elements in living systems from other members of bio-

logical processes. There is no visible bridge between elementary

(simple) and more complex components of the pre-life.

Thus, bioelementology is a part of biology (and of the life sci-

ence in terms of Vernadsky), a science about the biological role

of substances, important for building and existence of the living

matter (this is Postulate 9).

Bioelementology is a direction of fundamental science studying

the transition state of the matter (evolution from biologically inert
http://ibg.anrb.ru/biomics.htmlhttp://ibg.anrb.ru/biomics.html


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to living), formation and change of bioelements, which are vital or

conditionally essential for the living matter, under the influence of

various physical interactions and the matrix effect of water.

The term bioelementology was first used in the scientific lit-

erature by Bikkulova and Ishmuratova in 1999 [35]. The subject

of bioelementology, however, was considered by the authors as

a study of biologically active simple, complex and coordinated

compounds of chemical elements (metals and non-metals except

f-elements of the Periodic System), and the influence of their defi-

ciency or excess on human organism and biosphere.

As it was stated above, we conceive of the genius Russian scien-

tist Vladimir Vernadsky as the forerunner of bioelementology.

Bioelementologyas an integrative science, based on theideas of

Vernadsky, will bring us closer to understanding the origin of life.

Unlike the currently prevailing molecular approach, which unfor-

tunately does not solve the problem of the life origin despite the

involvement in consideration of new biochemical factors nucleic

acids, matrix mechanisms of continuity and biochemical memory

[32], bioelementology, in our view, will help to consider the con-

ditions of life more holistically as the presence of bioelements is

already the most important condition for its maintenance. Both

the planetary environment, which surrounds the living substance,

and the extraplanetary space environment which is influencing it

provide the necessary material and energy flows for the properfunctioning and continual renewal of the structure of living matter.

The ideas of autotrophy of the mankind and noosphere, sug-

gested by Vernadsky in 1923 [19], have fostered the epoch of

nanobiology, the living matter of Universe. We believe that bioele-

mentology can help to solve the main problem of mankind

achievement of autotrophy through answering the question for

the essence of the living matter of Earth and the identification of

this essence with a wider principle of life existence in the Universe

[36].

The bioelementology combines the systemic and integrative

approaches in life science and is a possible precursor to systemic

biology.

Conclusion

Thematerials above illustrate that theevolution of livingorgan-

isms on Earth was accompanied by a broadening and deepening of

the utilization of chemical elements and their compounds, i.e., in

fact, by diversification, improvement and complication of bioele-

ments. This process continues today in both natural and artificial

environment, if allowing for the development of biotechnology,

genetic engineering and pharmacy.

Diversification of bioelements is a natural tool of the evolu-

tion aimed at the adaptation of living organisms to the changing

conditions of their existence. The emergence of new bioelements

accompanies the process of evolutionfrom simple prokaryotic cells

(universal) to specialized cells within multicellular organisms withlonger duration of individual life at a deceleration of reproduction

rate. Changing the composition of the extracellular environment,

such as the concentration of key ions or gases, it is possible to

cause a cascade of formation of new bioelements. A more diverse

set of bioelements is observed in organisms with relatively low

reproduction rates, but with a longer individual life.

Bioelements existed yet before the emergence of life. The life

itself (since the formation of the cell) became a powerful and very

efficient producer and consumer of new bioelements. The change

from anaerobic to aerobic life was accompanied by a widening of

the spectrum (variety) of bioelements. Therefore an evolutionary

or revolutionary (with the help of new technologies) creation of

new forms of cells and hence of new life is possible that can open

to mankind unprecedented prospects for development, as well as

new threats to its existence if the process of the formation of new

life forms will be uncontrolled or inadequately controlled.

It must be remembered that a set of bioelements is a necessary

but not sufficient condition for the formation of life. In many cases

in medicine, in our opinion, it is possible to use bioelements for

maintaining organs and tissues instead of using cell cultures and

tissues, because it is not always necessary or possible (including

for financial reasons) to recover the function by a substance, organ

or tissue, completely identical to the living one (e.g., in transplan-

tology, orthopedics, in treatment of osteoporosis, diseases of skin,

and hair.).

The development of bioelementology may lead to the appear-

ance of modified cells or technologies for the creation of new cells

whichcan be used for medical purposes. Without going into detail,

we only note that this tale maysooner becomereality with the cor-

rect formulation of tasks, based on thecorrect understanding of the

hierarchy of pre-living processes and of life itself, on the forma-

tion of new methodological approaches on its basis, on the proper

division of essential substances in necessary and sufficient, pri-

mary and secondary, with a better understanding of the boundary

between pre-living and living, between the set of bioelements

and life.

Thus, which further steps can result from appearance and

establishment of the new termand new integrative scientificdirec-tion? Change in educational programs for high school students

of biological, chemical and physical specialties, creation of spe-

cial programs for biotechnologists, medical researchers, ecologists

and pharmacists. And this will demand united efforts of scien-

tists and specialists from adjacent fields. Integration of scientific

researches without division into separate parts, studied by only

one of the omics, though this will demand deeper and more

global planning of scientific investigations on the basis of the mul-

tidisciplinary concept. One should start from the fact that, like

multielement analysis in biology and medicine, the study of the

limited number of parameters (oneomics) willlead to further accu-

mulation of intermediate scientific investigations, which really

solve not one question of modern biology. The ranking of studies

on biological systems (bioelementology, biology of plants, verte-brates, humans, etc.) will allow to scanthe livingmatter from the

physico-chemical stage of its evolution to the highest social stage

(noosphere) in a relatively short historical period.

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank my colleague Dr. Andrei Grabeklis for his

valuable help and advice.

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