Admir Masic

Iron-Clad Fibers: A Metal-Based Biological Strategy for Hard Flexible Coatings

Mussel Fibers While it is possible to make strong fibers or threads from organic materials, most suffer from high wear abrasion. Marine mussels attach themselves to rocky seashores using a series of byssal threads. Despite the constant rubbing caused by the motion of the tides, the threads show high wear resistance. Harrington et al. (p. 216, published online 4 March; see the Perspective by Messersmith) now find that the threads are protected by a proteinaceous outer cuticle that is rich in the amino acid 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (dopa), which is known to be a strong adhesive. The cuticle is also rich in metal ions, primarily Fe3+. The dopa-metal crosslinks helped to form the tough outer coating. Marine mussel byssal threads have an outer coating in which proteins are linked to metal ions. The extensible byssal threads of marine mussels are shielded from abrasion in wave-swept habitats by an outer cuticle that is largely proteinaceous and approximately fivefold harder than the thread core. Threads from several species exhibit granular cuticles containing a protein that is rich in the catecholic amino acid 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (dopa) as well as inorganic ions, notably Fe3+. Granular cuticles exhibit a remarkable combination of high hardness and high extensibility. We explored byssus cuticle chemistry by means of in situ resonance Raman spectroscopy and demonstrated that the cuticle is a polymeric scaffold stabilized by catecholato-iron chelate complexes having an unusual clustered distribution. Consistent with byssal cuticle chemistry and mechanics, we present a model in which dense cross-linking in the granules provides hardness, whereas the less cross-linked matrix provides extensibility.

Protein- and Metal-dependent Interactions of a Prominent Protein in Mussel Adhesive Plaques

The adhesive plaques of Mytilus byssus are investigated increasingly to determine the molecular requirements for wet adhesion. Mfp-2 is the most abundant protein in the plaques, but little is known about its function. Analysis of Mfp-2 films using the surface forces apparatus detected no interaction between films or between a film and bare mica; however, addition of Ca2+ and Fe3+ induced significant reversible bridging (work of adhesion Wad ≈ 0.3 mJ/m2 to 2.2 mJ/m2) between two films at 0.35 m salinity. The strongest observed Fe3+-mediated bridging approaches the adhesion of oriented avidin-biotin complexes. Raman microscopy of plaque sections supports the co-localization of Mfp-2 and iron, which interact by forming bis- or tris-DOPA-iron complexes. Mfp-2 adhered strongly to Mfp-5, a DOPA-rich interfacial adhesive protein, but not to another interfacial protein, Mfp-3, which may in fact displace Mfp-2 from mica. In the presence of metal ions or Mfp-5, Mfp-2 adhesion was fully reversible. These results suggest that plaque cohesiveness depends on Mfp-2 complexation of metal ions, particularly Fe3+ and also by Mfp-2 interaction with Mfp-5 at the plaque-substratum interface.

Adhesion of mussel foot protein-3 to TiO2 surfaces: the effect of pH.

The underwater adhesion of marine mussels relies on mussel foot proteins (mfps) rich in the catecholic amino acid 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa). As a side chain, Dopa is capable of strong bidentate interactions with a variety of surfaces, including many minerals and metal oxides. Titanium is among the most widely used medical implant material and quickly forms a TiO2 passivation layer under physiological conditions. Understanding the binding mechanism of Dopa to TiO2 surfaces is therefore of considerable theoretical and practical interest. Using a surface forces apparatus, we explored the force-distance profiles and adhesion energies of mussel foot protein 3 (mfp-3) to TiO2 surfaces at three different pHs (pH 3, 5.5 and 7.5). At pH 3, mfp-3 showed the strongest adhesion force on TiO2, with an adhesion energy of ∼-7.0 mJ/m(2). Increasing the pH gives rise to two opposing effects: (1) increased oxidation of Dopa, thus, decreasing availability for the Dopa-mediated adhesion, and (2) increased bidentate Dopa-Ti coordination, leading to the further stabilization of the Dopa group and, thus, an increase in adhesion force. Both effects were reflected in the resonance-enhanced Raman spectra obtained at the three deposition pHs. The two competing effects give rise to a higher adhesion force of mfp-3 on the TiO2 surface at pH 7.5 than at pH 5.5. Our results suggest that Dopa-containing proteins and synthetic polymers have great potential as coating materials for medical implant materials, particularly if redox activity can be controlled.

Cortical bone composition and orientation as a function of animal and tissue age in mice by Raman spectroscopy.

Important aspects of bone tissue quality include the physicochemical properties of its main constituents, the organic matrix and the mineral crystals. One of the most commonly reported measurements of Raman analysis of bone is the mineral to matrix ratio, obtained from the ratio of the integrated areas of any of the phosphate and amide peaks which depend on both tissue organization and composition. Cube-like samples of normal mouse cortical bone taken from the diaphysis and metaphysis of the femur were investigated within different age groups (2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks) by Raman microspectroscopy. Anatomically identical bone in both longitudinal and transverse directions was analyzed, enabling the discrimination between orientation and composition changes both as a function of animal age, and tissue age within the same animal. The results of the present study indicate that there is a parallel evolution of both orientation and chemical composition as a function of animal age, as well as tissue age within the same specimen. Our tissue age modified ratio of the carbonate to phosphate Raman peaks suggests that the bone mineral crystallite maturity remains relatively constant with animal age. Comparisons of polarized and depolarized experiments in the transversal plane of the diaphysis show a lack of orientation effects as a function of tissue age within the same animal, but exhibit differences as a function of animal age. In the metaphysis, the orientation effect is evident too, albeit less pronounced. This is most likely due to either the age difference between the two tissues within the same specimen in the long bone axis, as metaphyseal bone is generally younger than diaphyseal, or the more random orientation of the tissue collagen itself.

Mussel-Mimetic Protein-Based Adhesive Hydrogel

Hydrogel systems based on cross-linked polymeric materials which could provide both adhesion and cohesion in wet environment have been considered as a promising formulation of tissue adhesives. Inspired by marine mussel adhesion, many researchers have tried to exploit the 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) molecule as a cross-linking mediator of synthetic polymer-based hydrogels which is known to be able to achieve cohesive hardening as well as adhesive bonding with diverse surfaces. Beside DOPA residue, composition of other amino acid residues and structure of mussel adhesive proteins (MAPs) have also been considered important elements for mussel adhesion. Herein, we represent a novel protein-based hydrogel system using DOPA-containing recombinant MAP. Gelation can be achieved using both oxdiation-induced DOPA quinone-mediated covalent and Fe(3+)-mediated coordinative noncovalent cross-linking. Fe(3+)-mediated hydrogels show deformable and self-healing viscoelastic behavior in rheological analysis, which is also well-reflected in bulk adhesion strength measurement. Quinone-mediated hydrogel has higher cohesive strength and can provide sufficient gelation time for easier handling. Collectively, our newly developed MAP hydrogel can potentially be used as tissue adhesive and sealant for future applications.

Accelerating the design of biomimetic materials by integrating RNA-seq with proteomics and materials science

Efforts to engineer new materials inspired by biological structures are hampered by the lack of genomic data from many model organisms studied in biomimetic research. Here we show that biomimetic engineering can be accelerated by integrating high-throughput RNA-seq with proteomics and advanced materials characterization. This approach can be applied to a broad range of systems, as we illustrate by investigating diverse high-performance biological materials involved in embryo protection, adhesion and predation. In one example, we rapidly engineer recombinant squid sucker ring teeth proteins into a range of structural and functional materials, including nanopatterned surfaces and photo-cross-linked films that exceed the mechanical properties of most natural and synthetic polymers. Integrating RNA-seq with proteomics and materials science facilitates the molecular characterization of natural materials and the effective translation of their molecular designs into a wide range of bio-inspired materials.

Peptide-Coated Silver Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Surface Chemistry, and pH-Triggered, Reversible Assembly into Particle Assemblies

Simple tripeptides are scaffolds for the synthesis and further assembly of peptide/silver nanoparticle composites. Herein, we further explore peptide-controlled silver nanoparticle assembly processes. Silver nanoparticles with a pH-responsive peptide coating have been synthesized by using a one-step precipitation/coating route. The nature of the peptide/silver interaction and the effect of the peptide on the formation of the silver particles have been studied via UV/Vis, X-ray photoelectron, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopies as well as through electron microscopy, small angle X-ray scattering and powder X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement. The particles reversibly form aggregates of different sizes in aqueous solution. The state of aggregation can be controlled by the solution pH value. At low pH values, individual particles are present. At neutral pH values, small clusters form and at high pH values, large precipitates are observed.

Osmotic pressure induced tensile forces in tendon collagen

Water is an important component of collagen in tendons, but its role for the function of this load-carrying protein structure is poorly understood. Here we use a combination of multi-scale experimentation and computation to show that water is an integral part of the collagen molecule, which changes conformation upon water removal. The consequence is a shortening of the molecule that translates into tensile stresses in the range of several to almost 100 MPa, largely surpassing those of about 0.3 MPa generated by contractile muscles. Although a complete drying of collagen would be relevant for technical applications, such as the fabrication of leather or parchment, stresses comparable to muscle contraction already occur at small osmotic pressures common in biological environments. We suggest, therefore, that water-generated tensile stresses may play a role in living collagen-based materials such as tendon or bone.

Application of Laser Postionization Secondary Neutral Mass Spectrometry/Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry in Nanotoxicology: Visualization of Nanosilver in Human Macrophages and Cellular Responses

Silver nanoparticles (SNP) are the subject of worldwide commercialization because of their antimicrobial effects. Yet only little data on their mode of action exist. Further, only few techniques allow for visualization and quantification of unlabeled nanoparticles inside cells. To study SNP of different sizes and coatings within human macrophages, we introduce a novel laser postionization secondary neutral mass spectrometry (Laser-SNMS) approach and prove this method superior to the widely applied confocal Raman and transmission electron microscopy. With time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) we further demonstrate characteristic fingerprints in the lipid pattern of the cellular membrane indicative of oxidative stress and membrane fluidity changes. Increases of protein carbonyl and heme oxygenase-1 levels in treated cells confirm the presence of oxidative stress biochemically. Intriguingly, affected phagocytosis reveals as highly sensitive end point of SNP-mediated adversity in macrophages. The cellular responses monitored are hierarchically linked, but follow individual kinetics and are partially reversible.

Enamel-like apatite crown covering amorphous mineral in a crayfish mandible

Carbonated hydroxyapatite is the mineral found in vertebrate bones and teeth, whereas invertebrates utilize calcium carbonate in their mineralized organs. In particular, stable amorphous calcium carbonate is found in many crustaceans. Here we report on an unusual, crystalline enamel-like apatite layer found in the mandibles of the arthropod Cherax quadricarinatus (freshwater crayfish). Despite their very different thermodynamic stabilities, amorphous calcium carbonate, amorphous calcium phosphate, calcite and fluorapatite coexist in well-defined functional layers in close proximity within the mandible. The softer amorphous minerals are found primarily in the bulk of the mandible whereas apatite, the harder and less soluble mineral, forms a wear-resistant, enamel-like coating of the molar tooth. Our findings suggest a unique case of convergent evolution, where similar functional challenges of mastication led to independent developments of structurally and mechanically similar, apatite-based layers in the teeth of genetically remote phyla: vertebrates and crustaceans.