Cephalopods are well known for their remarkable camouflage abilities; they can modify their coloration, texture, pattern, and reflectivity to blend into the surrounding environment. Such dazzling camouflage abilities are partially enabled by specialized intracellular nanostructures that are composed of a unique structural protein known as reflectin. We have developed high throughput protein expression and purification strategies for the isolation of reflectin isoforms from the cephalopod species L. pealei and E. scolopes.1 We have performed extensive biophysical characterization of these proteins, discovering that they possess common yet unique optical and electrical properties, including protonic conductivities that are on par with state-of-the-art artificial materials.2 Our findings may hold implications for not only better understanding the mechanisms that cephalopods employ to dynamically control their coloration but also for the development of bioinspired proton conducting materials. 1. Phan, L.; Walkup IV, W. G.; Ordinario, D. O.; Karshalev, E.; Jocson, J.-M.; Burke, A. M.; Gorodetsky, A. A. Reconfigurable infrared camouflage coatings from a cephalopod protein. Adv. Mater. 2013, 25, 5621-5625. 2. Ordinario, D. O.; Phan, L.; Walkup IV, W. G.; Jocson, J.-M.; Karshalev, E.; Hüsken, N.; Gorodetsky, A. A. Bulk protonic conductivity in a cephalopod structural protein. Nat. Chem. 2014, 6, 596-602.

Biophysical characterization of reflectin isoforms from squid and cuttlefish

249th National Meeting (2015)

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