Nematocyst is a cell organelle which is only found in the Phylum Cnidaria including species such as sea anemone and coral and specialized for attack or defense. The capsule wall of nematocyst should retain superior toughness because when provoked by external stimulus, coiled tubular structure in nematocyst is instantaneously stretches out thanks to the high osmotic pressure in nematocyst. Protein called minicollagen is a main component of the capsule wall, so it can be thought as crucial material to meet mechanical requirement. However, previous researches have not been directly dealt with the correlation between sequence or domain structure of minicollagen and its mechanical properties. So as to reveal this relation, in the present work, bioinformatical analysis and experimental verification of minicollagen sequences of sea anemone Nematostella vectensis was performed. Both comparative analysis with vertebrate collagen sequences and simulations/measurements of mechanical properties can explain the reason why minicollagen has unique sequences and domain structures. Our novel approaches will be able to provide the strategies of designing collagen-inspired fibrous materials with predictable mechanical properties to protein engineers.

Sequence and domain architecture of minicollagen from sea anemone and their impacts on mechanical properties

251st National Meeting (2016)

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