Invited Paper MB+BI-MoM5
Chemical Insights on How Shellfish Stick

Monday, October 18, 2010, 9:40 am, Room Navajo

Since the very first mariners traversed ocean waters, hulls have become encrusted with fouling organisms such as barnacles, oysters, tube worms, and algae. Antifouling coatings can prevent the resulting loss of vessel performance, but at a cost. Current coatings release toxins into the water, thereby killing the foulers as well as other species. Rather that destroying marine life, stopping bioadhesion processes may provide a benign means of antifouling. Consequently we have been seeking detailed knowledge of how shellfish attach themselves to surfaces. The resulting insights can be used to develop mechanism-based antifouling coatings for inhibiting the production of bioadhesives. Our characterization efforts have focused on the intractable glues and cements of mussels, barnacles, and oysters. A fruitful approach has been to work simultaneously with synthetic peptide models, extracted adhesive proteins, and material produced by the animals. Perspectives from each class of experiments can be complimentary and used to build pictures of how the animals generate their adhesives. Themes in marine bioadhesion are beginning to emerge as well as evidence for unique aspects within each system. Cross-linking of proteins plays a prominent role in curing the glues. Inorganic reactions and related oxidative chemistry also contribute to formation of the materials. Here we will present a summary of our latest findings on how shellfish stick.