Meeting Abstract
The phenomenal adaptation of marine mussels to rapidly deposit permanent holdfasts on a wide range of substrates has been explored for decades and is the epicenter of bio-inspired wet adhesion. Mussels use their specialized foot to synthesize and secrete multiple adhesive and structural proteins that self-assemble to create load-bearing structures. Each structure emanates from a central stem and consists of a collagenous, energy dissipative thread and terminates with a spatulate adhesive plaque bound to the substrate, all of which is covered by a wear-resistant biological varnish. The conglomerate of plaques, threads and stem is collectively referred to as the byssus. Years of biochemical investigation has characterized many major protein components of the byssus and deduced their functional contribution. We used de novo transcriptomics (RNA-seq) to profile specific secretory glands, and have discovered many new and highly abundant mussel foot protein genes that likely play essential roles in the mechanical performance of this biomaterial. This expanded view of the suite of mussel foot proteins bolsters emergent themes in biological adhesion and greatly expands our view of the proteins that make up the heroic byssus.
