London, August 01(ANI): It was earlier known that mussels' ability to remain steadfast even when being battered by ocean waves is due the unique properties of glue secreted from their feet but how these remarkable molluscs control their adhesive strength was unknown, till now.
According to the scientists at the University of California Santa Barbara, in the process reminiscent of Spiderman's wall-clinging abilities, the mussel casts out a bundle of thread-like fibres that are attached to a sticky disc called a plaque. This protein-based structure is collectively called a byssus.
It's been known for a number of years that a key ingredient of mussel glue is dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA).
In their study Dr Jing Yu and colleagues describe how mussels overcome the adverse effects of their watery surrounds.
To do this, the scientists inserted a microelectrode under the mussel's foot and mimicked plaque protein secretion while measuring the pH changes. Within two minutes, the pH dropped to 5.8 from a resting value of 7.3.
"We always thought that the plaques were forming at the pH of seawater," Yu told ABC Science.
"But we found that the mussels control the local pH when they apply adhesive," added Yu.
The next step was to look more closely at the interaction between the first two foot proteins that the mussel squirts out: mfp-3 and mfp-6.
By isolating these proteins from the tongues of shucked mussels, Yu and colleagues were able to demonstrate that the acidic pH of 5.5 led to an increase in stickiness of the mfp-3 protein.
Furthermore, the mfp-6 protein, which has comparatively weak adhesion, was found to act as an 'antioxidant' that could restore adhesion in oxidized mfp-3.
"We found that mussels are able to control the redox (reduction oxidation) reaction," said Yu.
"The proteins work together and tune their strength by slowly releasing antioxidants," added Yu.
The study has been published in Nature Chemical Biology. (ANI)
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