The mussel thread cuticle, a biological granular composite coating

POSTER

Abstract

The cuticle of mussel byssal threads is a peculiar natural granular composite coating that combines high extensibility with high stiffness and hardness. In this study fluorescence microscopy and elemental analysis were exploited to show that the 3, 4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (dopa) residues of mussel foot protein-1 co-localize with Fe and Ca distributions in the cuticle of \textit{Mytilus galloprovincials} mussel byssal threads. Removal of Fe and Ca from the cuticle by chelation results in a 50{\%} reduction in hardness. Dopa-metal complexes may be a significant source of stability as cross-links in the composite cuticles.

Authors

  • Niels Holten-Andersen

    • University of Chicago, Department of Chemistry, Chicago, IL 60637, USA

  • Henrik Birkedal

    • University of Aarhus, Department of Chemistry \& iNANO, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark

  • Kaa Yee C. Lee

    • University of Chicago, James Franck Institute, Chicago, IL 60637, USA

  • J. Herbert Waite

    • University of California, Santa Barbara, Biomolecular Science \& Engineering Program, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA