近日，加拿大麦吉尔大学Matthew J. Harrington及其研究小组揭示贻贝如何产生金属离子固化生物胶粘剂。2021年10月8日，国际知名学术期刊《科学》发表了这一成果。

研究人员调查了蓝贻贝（Mytilus edulis）的足丝形成过程，并结合传统和先进的方法来确定了金属如何和何时被吸收。贻贝将铁和钒离子储存在细胞内金属储存颗粒（MSP）中。在粘合剂的形成过程中，储存的含有浓缩液体蛋白的分泌囊泡与MSP混合在一个类似于微流体的互连通道网络中，在那里它们凝聚在一起，在新生的足丝中形成蛋白-金属键。这些发现促进了人们对金属在生物材料中的使用的理解，对下一代金属聚合物和粘合剂有价值。

据介绍，为了锚定在海边的栖息地，贻贝制造了粘性的足丝纤维，通过3,4-二羟基苯丙氨酸（DOPA）介导的蛋白质-金属协调来机械地加强。金属离子在附着物形成过程中的整合机制仍然未知。

附：英文原文

Title: Microfluidic-like fabrication of metal ion–cured bioadhesives by mussels

Author: Tobias Priemel, Gurveer Palia, Frank Frste, Franziska Jehle, Sanja Sviben, Ioanna Mantouvalou, Paul Zaslansky, Luca Bertinetti, Matthew J. Harrington

Issue&Volume: 2021-10-08

Abstract: To anchor in seashore habitats, mussels fabricate adhesive byssus fibers that are mechanically reinforced by protein-metal coordination mediated by 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). The mechanism by which metal ions are integrated during byssus formation remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the byssus formation process in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, combining traditional and advanced methods to identify how and when metals are incorporated. Mussels store iron and vanadium ions in intracellular metal storage particles (MSPs) complexed with previously unknown catechol-based biomolecules. During adhesive formation, stockpiled secretory vesicles containing concentrated fluid proteins are mixed with MSPs within a microfluidic-like network of interconnected channels where they coalesce, forming protein-metal bonds within the nascent byssus. These findings advance our understanding of metal use in biological materials with implications for next-generation metallopolymers and adhesives.

DOI: abi9702

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abi9702