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Li X, Li S, Cheng J, Zhang Y, Zhan A. Deciphering protein-mediated underwater adhesion in an invasive biofouling ascidian: Discovery, validation, and functional mechanism of an interfacial protein. Acta Biomater 2024:S1742-7061(24)00219-8. [PMID: 38679406 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2024.04.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Discovering macromolecules and understanding the associated mechanisms involved in underwater adhesion are essential for both studying the fundamental ecology of benthos in aquatic ecosystems and developing biomimetic adhesive materials in industries. Here, we employed quantitative proteomics to assess protein expression variations during the development of the distinct adhesive structure - stolon in the model fouling ascidian, Ciona robusta. We found 16 adhesive protein candidates with increased expression in the stolon, with ascidian adhesive protein 1 (AAP1) being particularly rich in adhesion-related signal peptides, amino acids, and functional domains. Western blot and immunolocalization analyses confirmed the prominent AAP1 signals in the mantle, tunic, stolon, and adhesive footprints, indicating the interfacial role of this protein. Surface coating and atomic force microscopy experiments verified AAP1's adhesion to diverse materials, likely through the specific electrostatic and hydrophobic amino acid interactions with various substrates. In addition, molecular docking calculations indicated the AAP1's potential for cross-linking via hydrogen bonds and salt bridges among Von Willebrand factor type A domains, enhancing its adhesion capability. Altogether, the newly discovered interfacial protein responsible for permanent underwater adhesion, along with the elucidated adhesion mechanisms, are expected to contribute to the development of biomimetic adhesive materials and anti-fouling strategies. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Discovering macromolecules and studying their associated mechanisms involved in underwater adhesion are essential for understanding the fundamental ecology of benthos in aquatic ecosystems and developing innovative bionic adhesive materials in various industries. Using multidisciplinary analytical methods, we identified an interfacial protein - Ascidian Adhesive Protein 1 (AAP1) from the model marine fouling ascidian, Ciona robusta. The interfacial functions of AAP1 are achieved by electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, and the Von Willebrand factor type A domain-based cross-linking likely enhances AAP1's interfacial adhesion. The identification and validation of the interfacial functions of AAP1, combined with the elucidation of adhesion mechanisms, present a promising target for the development of biomimetic adhesive materials and the formulation of effective anti-fouling strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Li
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shiguo Li
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Jiawei Cheng
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Aibin Zhan
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China.
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Muscolino E, Costa MA, Sabatino MA, Alessi S, Bulone D, San Biagio PL, Passantino R, Giacomazza D, Dispenza C. Recombinant mussel protein Pvfp5β enhances cell adhesion of poly(vinyl alcohol)/k-carrageenan hydrogel scaffolds. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 211:639-52. [PMID: 35569680 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.05.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Polymeric hydrogels are increasingly considered as scaffolds for tissue engineering due to their extraordinary resemblance with the extracellular matrix (ECM) of many tissues. As cell adhesion is a key factor in regulating important cell functions, hydrogel scaffolds are often functionalized or loaded with a variety of bioactive molecules that can promote adhesion. Interesting biomimetic approaches exploit the properties of mussel-inspired recombinant adhesive proteins. In this work, we prepared hydrogel scaffolds with a 50%w mixture of k-carrageenan (kC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), by a two-step physical gelation process, and we coated them with Perna viridis foot protein-5β (Pvfp5β). The mechanical and morphological properties of hydrogels were investigated both after conditioning with typical cell culture media and also after coating with the Pvfp5β. The protein resulted strongly adsorbed onto the surface of the hydrogel and also able to penetrate in its interiors to a certain depth, mainly interacting with the kC component of the scaffold as resulted from the confocal analysis. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts NIH-3T3 were seeded on top of the hydrogels and cultured up to two weeks. The role of Pvfp5β in promoting cell adhesion, spreading and colonization of the scaffold was demonstrated.
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Lefevre M, Ederth T, Masai T, Wattiez R, Leclère P, Flammang P, Hennebert E. Disentangling the Roles of Functional Domains in the Aggregation and Adsorption of the Multimodular Sea Star Adhesive Protein Sfp1. Mar Biotechnol (NY) 2021; 23:724-735. [PMID: 34528162 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-021-10059-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Sea stars can adhere to various underwater substrata using an adhesive secretion of which Sfp1 is a major component. Sfp1 is a multimodular protein composed of four subunits (Sfp1 Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma) displaying different functional domains. We recombinantly produced two fragments of Sfp1 comprising most of its functional domains: the C-terminal part of the Beta subunit (rSfp1 Beta C-term) and the Delta subunit (rSfp1 Delta). Surface plasmon resonance analyses of protein adsorption onto different model surfaces showed that rSfp1 Beta C-term exhibits a significantly higher adsorption than the fibrinogen control on hydrophobic, hydrophilic protein-resistant, and charged self-assembled monolayers, while rSfp1 Delta adsorbed more on negatively charged and on protein-resistant surfaces compared to fibrinogen. Truncated recombinant rSfp1 Beta C-term proteins were produced in order to investigate the role of the different functional domains in the adsorption of this protein. The analysis of their adsorption capacities on glass showed that two mechanisms are involved in rSfp1 Beta C-term adsorption: (1) one mediated by the EGF-like domain and involving Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions, and (2) one mediated by the sequence of Sfp1 Beta with no homology with known functional domain in databases, in the presence of Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Lefevre
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Place du Parc 23, 7000, Mons, Belgium
- Laboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials, Center for Innovation and Research in Materials and Polymers (CIRMAP), Research Institute for Materials, University of Mons, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Thomas Ederth
- Division of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Thibault Masai
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Place du Parc 23, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Ruddy Wattiez
- Laboratory of Proteomics and Microbiology, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Philippe Leclère
- Laboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials, Center for Innovation and Research in Materials and Polymers (CIRMAP), Research Institute for Materials, University of Mons, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Patrick Flammang
- Biology of Marine Organisms and Biomimetics Unit, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Elise Hennebert
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Place du Parc 23, 7000, Mons, Belgium.
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Li X, Li S, Huang X, Chen Y, Cheng J, Zhan A. Protein-mediated bioadhesion in marine organisms: A review. Mar Environ Res 2021; 170:105409. [PMID: 34271483 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Protein-mediated bioadhesion is one of the crucial physiological processes in marine organisms, by which they can firmly adhere to underwater substrates. Most marine adhesive organisms are biofoulers, causing negative effects on marine ecosystems and huge economic losses to aquaculture and maritime industries. Furthermore, adhesive proteins in these organisms are promising bionic candidates for high-performance artificial materials with great application value. In-depth understanding of the bioadhesion in marine ecosystems is of dual significance for resolving biofouling issue and developing marine bionic products. Here, we review the research progress of protein-mediated bioadhesion in marine organisms. The adhesion processes such as protein biosynthesis and secretion are similar among organisms, but the detailed features such as compositions, structures, and molecular functions of adhesive proteins are distinct. Hydroxylation, glycosylation, and phosphorylation are important post-translational modifications during the processes of adhesion. The contents of some amino acids such as glycine, tyrosine and cysteine involved in underwater adhesion are significantly higher, which is a sequence feature of barnacle cement and mussel foot proteins. The amyloid structures and conserved domains/motifs such as EGF and vWFA distributed in adhesive proteins are involved in the underwater adhesion. In addition, the oxidative cross-linking also plays an important role in marine bioadhesion. Overall, the unique and common features identified for the protein-mediated bioadhesion in diverse marine organisms here provide background information and essential reference for characterizing marine adhesive proteins and associated functional domains, formulating antifouling strategies, and developing novel biomimetic adhesives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Li
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Shiguo Li
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Xuena Huang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Yiyong Chen
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Jiawei Cheng
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Aibin Zhan
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China.
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