Macrofouling organisms have plagued mariners and scientists alike since the sailing of the first ships in the ocean. Even today, combating fouling is a global challenge with great economic burden on the world’s navies and maritime operations. Over the last few years, our team has applied modern bioinformatic approaches, <i>in vivo</i> microscopy/chemical spectroscopy, and biochemical analysis to produce a new, more comprehensive picture of the specialized proteins found in the adhesive of one of the most tenacious fouling organisms in the ocean: the acorn barnacle. Direct analysis of the glue has revealed that barnacles use biomaterials and biochemistries to develop the adhesive interface not unlike their insect relatives spiders, moths, and aquatic flies. Live organism fluorescence microscopy highlights the proximity of molting processes and reactive oxygen species involved in growing the adhesive interface. Proteomic sequencing of the dissolved barnacle glue itself reveals that, like in other fibrous biomaterials such as silks and elastin, compact and flexible protein segments play a large role in shaping fibers. To manage these materials, barnacles use oxidative enzymes and chemistries such as lysyl oxidase, peroxidases, and hydrogen peroxide which are also used during the molting process. Adhesive fibers are shaped by a highly conserved domain alternating between short 20-residue low complexity sequences (Gly/Ser/Thr/Ala residues) and regions with alternating charged and non-charged side chains, with more than 80 such domains in just five proteins. To mimic the sequence and structure of natural proteins, we use short synthetic peptides derived from homologous cement proteins. Short synthetic peptides demonstrate that materials are formed through a set of patterned sequences that exert specific control over polymerization, curing, and adhesion using mechanisms of molecular recognition. Our work demonstrates that the structures produced by patterned cement sequences, and the progression of domain interactions, are critical in polymerizing materials that resemble the natural adhesive.

Sticking like barnacles: Unraveling and mimicking a natural adhesive

2019 Fall National Meeting

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