Metals and the integrity of a biological coating : The cuticle of mussel byssus

• The cuticle of mussel byssal threads is a robust natural 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 colocalize with Fe and Ca distributions in the cuticle of Mytilus galloprovincialis mussel byssal threads. Chelated removal of Fe and Ca from the cuticle of intact threads resulted in a 50% reduction in cuticle hardness, and thin sections subjected to the same treatment showed a disruption of cuticle integrity. Dopa-metal complexes may provide significant interactions for the integrity of composite cuticles deformed under tension.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

CROSS-LINKING; HYBRID COATINGS; EIMERIA-MAXIMA; MYTILUS-EDULIS; OOCYST WALL; ADHESIVE; PROTEINS; MECHANICS; PRECURSOR; OXIDATION

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)