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Rising A, Harrington MJ. Biological Materials Processing: Time-Tested Tricks for Sustainable Fiber Fabrication. Chem Rev 2023; 123:2155-2199. [PMID: 36508546 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
There is an urgent need to improve the sustainability of the materials we produce and use. Here, we explore what humans can learn from nature about how to sustainably fabricate polymeric fibers with excellent material properties by reviewing the physical and chemical aspects of materials processing distilled from diverse model systems, including spider silk, mussel byssus, velvet worm slime, hagfish slime, and mistletoe viscin. We identify common and divergent strategies, highlighting the potential for bioinspired design and technology transfer. Despite the diversity of the biopolymeric fibers surveyed, we identify several common strategies across multiple systems, including: (1) use of stimuli-responsive biomolecular building blocks, (2) use of concentrated fluid precursor phases (e.g., coacervates and liquid crystals) stored under controlled chemical conditions, and (3) use of chemical (pH, salt concentration, redox chemistry) and physical (mechanical shear, extensional flow) stimuli to trigger the transition from fluid precursor to solid material. Importantly, because these materials largely form and function outside of the body of the organisms, these principles can more easily be transferred for bioinspired design in synthetic systems. We end the review by discussing ongoing efforts and challenges to mimic biological model systems, with a particular focus on artificial spider silks and mussel-inspired materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Rising
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge 141 52, Sweden.,Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala 750 07, Sweden
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2
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Oliveira PE, Chen D, Bell BE, Harris TI, Walker C, Zhang H, Grob B, Lewis RV, Jones JA. The next generation of protein super-fibres: robust recombinant production and recovery of hagfish intermediate filament proteins with fibre spinning and mechanical-structural characterizations. Microb Biotechnol 2021; 14:1976-1989. [PMID: 34191387 PMCID: PMC8449652 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Native hagfish intermediate filament proteins have impressive mechanical properties. However, using these native fibres for any application is impractical, necessitating their recombinant production. In the only literature report on the proteins (denoted α and ɣ), heterologous expression levels, using E. coli, were low and no attempts were made to optimize expression, explore wet‐spinning, or spin the two proteins individually into fibres. Reported here is the high production (~8 g l−1 of dry protein) of the hagfish intermediate filament proteins, with yields orders of magnitude higher (325–1000×) than previous reports. The proteins were spun into fibres individually and in their native‐like 1:1 ratio. For all fibres, the hallmark α‐helix to β‐sheet conversion occurred after draw‐processing. The native‐like 1:1 ratio fibres achieved the highest average tensile strength in this study at nearly 200 MPa with an elastic modulus of 5.7 GPa, representing the highest tensile strength reported for these proteins without chemical cross‐linking. Interestingly, the recombinant α protein achieved nearly the same mechanical properties when spun as a homopolymeric fibre. These results suggest that varying the two protein ratios beyond the natural 1:1 ratio will allow a high degree of tunability. With robust heterologous expression and purification established, optimizing fibre spinning will be accelerated compared to difficult to produce proteins such as spider silks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula E Oliveira
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Dong Chen
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Brianne E Bell
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Thomas I Harris
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Caleb Walker
- Department of Biological Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Haixia Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Bioengineering of State Ethnic Affairs Commission, Biomedical Research Center, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Brittany Grob
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Randolph V Lewis
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA.,Department of Biological Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Justin A Jones
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA.,Department of Biological Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
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Bressman N, Fudge D. From reductionism to synthesis: The case of hagfish slime. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 255:110610. [PMID: 33971350 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2021.110610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Reductionist strategies aim to understand the mechanisms of complex systems by studying individual parts and their interactions. In this review, we discuss how reductionist approaches have shed light on the structure, function, and production of a complex biomaterial - hagfish defensive slime. Hagfish slime is an extremely dilute hydrogel-like material composed of seawater, mucus, and silk-like proteins that can deploy rapidly. Despite being composed almost entirely of water, hagfish slime has remarkable physical properties, including high strength and toughness. While hagfish slime has a promising future in biomimetics, including the development of eco-friendly high-performance fibers, recreating hagfish slime in the lab has been a difficult challenge. Over the past two decades, reductionist experiments have provided a wealth of information about the individual components of hagfish slime. However, a reductionist approach provides a limited understanding because hagfish defensive slime, like most biological phenomena, is more than just the sum of its parts. We end by providing some thoughts about how the knowledge generated in the last few decades might be synthesized into a working model that can explain hagfish slime structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah Bressman
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, 1 University Dr., Orange, CA 92866, USA.
| | - Douglas Fudge
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, 1 University Dr., Orange, CA 92866, USA
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4
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Clegg MH, Harris TI, Zhang X, Barney JT, Jones JA, Vargis E. Silkworm Silk Fiber Bundles as Improved In Vitro Scaffolds for Skeletal Muscle. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2020; 6:6853-6863. [PMID: 33320626 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c00987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
To mimic skeletal muscle tissues in vitro, native and transgenic spider silk/silkworm silks were seeded with C2C12 myoblasts to observe if these three-dimensional substrates are preferable to a traditional two-dimensional polystyrene cell culture surface. Silks were wound around an acrylic chassis to produce a novel, three-dimensional cell culture device with suspended muscle fibers that genetically and morphologically resemble native skeletal muscle tissue. The transgenic spider silk/silkworm silk has never before been studied for this application. Genetic expression verified skeletal muscle lineage and differentiation, while fluorescent imaging verified contractile protein synthesis. Genetic analysis also revealed an increase in expression of the Myh2 contractile protein gene on silkworm silks, particularly on the transgenic silk. Mechanical properties and protein secondary structure content of the silks indicated correlation between substrate properties and Myh2 gene expression. This increase in contractile protein gene expression suggests that biologically derived silk substrates that are suspended may be a preferable substrate for in vitro muscle modeling because of the proteinaceous character and mechanical flexibility of the silk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew H Clegg
- Department of Biological Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322, United States
| | - Thomas I Harris
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322, United States
| | - Xiaoli Zhang
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322, United States
| | - Jacob T Barney
- Department of Biological Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322, United States
| | - Justin A Jones
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322, United States
| | - Elizabeth Vargis
- Department of Biological Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322, United States
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McCord CL, Whiteley E, Liang J, Trejo C, Caputo R, Itehua E, Hasan H, Hernandez S, Jagnandan K, Fudge D. Concentration effects of three common fish anesthetics on Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii). FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2020; 46:931-943. [PMID: 31955312 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-020-00761-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The efficacy of three common fish anesthetics (clove oil, 2-phenoxyethanol, and tricaine methanesulfonate) was evaluated in the Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii). The overarching aim of our study was to identify the best anesthetic and concentration for the purposes of routine laboratory use of Pacific hagfish (i.e., short and consistent induction and recovery times and minimized stress and safety risk to hagfish). The objectives of our study were fourfold: (1) identify anesthetic stages of Pacific hagfish using clove oil anesthesia; (2) establish standardized anesthesia preparation procedures; (3) determine the optimal anesthetic and concentration for safely achieving stage V anesthesia; and (4) investigate the effects of repeatedly exposing Pacific hagfish to anesthesia. Experimental concentrations, ranging from 50 to 400 mg/L, of each anesthetic were tested on at least three Pacific hagfish individuals. We found the following: (1) Pacific hagfish exhibited similar stages of anesthesia to those described for bony fishes; (2) sufficient mixing of clove oil with seawater had a considerable effect on the consistency and timing of anesthetic induction; (3) concentration and anesthetic significantly impacted induction and recovery timing, whereas body mass had no impact on anesthetic trends; and (4) repeatedly exposing Pacific hagfish to optimal concentrations of clove oil or MS-222 had no effect on induction or recovery timing, whereas exposure number significantly impacted induction timing when using 2-PE. Due to consistent induction and recovery times, low risk of accidental overdose, and high safety margins for both handler and hagfish, we recommend 175 mg/L of clove oil as the ideal anesthetic and concentration for the routine laboratory use of Pacific hagfish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlene L McCord
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA.
- California State University Dominguez Hills, 1000 E. Victoria St, Carson, CA, 90746, USA.
| | - Emma Whiteley
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
| | - Jessica Liang
- San Diego City College, 1313 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA, 92101, USA
| | - Cathy Trejo
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
| | - Rebecca Caputo
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
| | - Estefania Itehua
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
| | - Hina Hasan
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
| | - Stephanie Hernandez
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
| | - Kevin Jagnandan
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Douglas Fudge
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, 1 University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
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Borzouyan Dastjerdi M, Amini A, Nazari M, Cheng C, Benson V, Gholami A, Ghasemi Y. Novel versatile 3D bio-scaffold made of natural biocompatible hagfish exudate for tissue growth and organoid modeling. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 158:894-902. [PMID: 32387614 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Hagfish exudate is a natural biological macromolecule made of keratin intermediate filament protein skeins and mucin vesicles. Here, we successfully examined this remarkable biomaterial as a substrate for three-dimensional (3D) cell culturing purposes. After the sterilization with chloroform vapor, Dulbecco's modified eagle medium was mixed with the exudate to rupture the vesicles and skeins; a highly soft, adherent, fibrous and biocompatible hydrogel was formed. A variety of cells, including Hela-FUCCI, NMuMG-FUCCI, 10T1/2 and C2C12, was cultured on the hagfish exudate. A remarkable 3D growth by ~2.5 folds after day 3, ~5 folds after day 5, ~10 folds after day 7 and ~15 folds after day 14 were seen compared to day one of culturing in the hagfish exudate scaffold. In addition, the phase contrast, fluorescent and confocal microscopy observations confirmed the organoid shape formation within the three-week culture. The viability of cells was almost 100% indicating the great in vitro and in vivo potential of this exceptional biomaterial with no cytotoxic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahsa Borzouyan Dastjerdi
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Abbas Amini
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Australian College of Kuwait, Safat 13015, Kuwait; Center for Infrastructure Engineering, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia.
| | - Marziyeh Nazari
- Department of Mathematics and Physics, Australian College of Kuwait, Mishref, Kuwait
| | - Chun Cheng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Shenzhen 518055, P. R. China.
| | - Veronika Benson
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, Czech Republic
| | - Ahmad Gholami
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Younes Ghasemi
- Biotechnology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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Chen J, Cai Z, Wei Q, Wang D, Wu J, Tan Y, Lu J, Ai H. Proanthocyanidin-crosslinked collagen/konjac glucomannan hydrogel with improved mechanical properties and MRI trackable biodegradation for potential tissue engineering scaffolds. J Mater Chem B 2019; 8:316-331. [PMID: 31819938 DOI: 10.1039/c9tb02053e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Collagen (Col) has been intensively exploited as a biomaterial for its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradation and bioactivity. However, the poor mechanical properties and rapid biodegradation of reconstituted collagen hydrogels have always been the bottlenecks for their further development especially for vascular tissue engineering. Herein, based on the self-assembly characteristics of collagen, a ternary hydrogel scaffold, comprising rigid collagen molecules, flexible konjac glucomannan (KGM) chains and biocompatible crosslinkers of proanthocyanidin (PA), has been designed to achieve a synergistic interaction for essentially optimizing the mechanical properties of the so-obtained Col/KGM/PA hydrogel, which possesses not only substantially improved strength but also good elasticity. PA endows these scaffolds with controllable biodegradation and anti-calcification and antioxidant activities. TEM discovered the co-existence of two types of fibrils with distinctly different arrangement patterns, explaining the contribution of KGM macromolecules to elasticity generation. The in vivo variations of Col/KGM/PA implants are visualized in real-time by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Moreover, a quantitative technique of MRI T2-mapping combined with histology is designed to visualize the in vivo biodegradation mechanism of layer-by-layer erosion for these hydrogels. Simultaneously, three different relationships between the respective processes of in vivo degradation and in vivo dehydration of these controlled hydrogel implants were clearly revealed by this technique. Such a designed Col/KGM/PA composite hydrogel realizes the essential integration of good biocompatibility, controllable biodegradation and improved mechanical properties for developing a desired scaffold material for tissue engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinlin Chen
- National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Zhongyuan Cai
- National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Qingrong Wei
- National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Dan Wang
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Jun Wu
- School of medical imaging, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, China
| | - Yanfei Tan
- National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Jian Lu
- National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
| | - Hua Ai
- National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.
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Rementzi K, Böni LJ, Adamcik J, Fischer P, Vlassopoulos D. Structure and dynamics of hagfish mucin in different saline environments. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:8627-8637. [PMID: 31631202 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm00971j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The defense mechanism of hagfish against predators is based on its ability to form slime within a few milliseconds. Hagfish slime consists of two main components, namely mucin-like glycoproteins and long protein threads, which together entrap vast amounts of water and thus form a highly dilute hydrogel. Here, we investigate the mucin part of this hydrogel, in particular the role of the saline marine environment on the viscoelasticity and structure. By means of dynamic light scattering (DLS), shear and extensional rheology we probe the diffusion dynamics, the flow behavior, and the longest filament breaking time of hagfish mucin solutions. Using DLS we find a concentration-independent diffusion coefficient - characteristic for polyelectrolytes - up to the entanglement regime of 0.2 mg ml-1, which is about ten times higher than the natural concentration of hagfish mucin in hagfish slime. We also observe a slow relaxation process associated with clustering, probably due to electrostatic interactions. Shear rheology further revealed that hagfish mucin possesses pronounced viscoelastic properties at high concentrations (3 mg ml-1), showing that mucin alone achieves mechanical properties similar to those of natural hagfish slime (mucins and protein threads). The main effects of added seawater salts, and predominantly CaCl2 is to reduce the intensity of the slow relaxation process, which suggests that calcium ions lead to an ionotropic gelation of hagfish mucins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Rementzi
- FORTH, Institute of Electronic Structure & Laser, N. Plastira 100, 70013 Heraklion, Greece.
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