| AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Biomaterial Interfaces Division | Monday Sessions |
| Session BI-MoM |
| Session: | Engineering a Paradigm Shift in Control of Microbes and Fouling |
| Presenter: | Kathryn Wahl, US Naval Research Laboratory |
| Authors: | C.R. So, US Naval Research Laboratory K.P. Fears, US Naval Research Laboratory H. Ryou, ASEE Research Fellow at US Naval Research Laboratory D.E. Barlow, US Naval Research Laboratory D.H. Leary, US Naval Research Laboratory J.A. Wollmershauser, US Naval Research Laboratory C.M. Spillmann, US Naval Research Laboratory K.J. Wahl, US Naval Research Laboratory |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Barnacles are sessile marine arthropods that live and reproduce on nearly any available surface in the ocean. They adhere via a thin adhesive layer developed through a multistep secretory process synchronized with growth via molting. Unlike other arthropods, the combination of expansion, molting and protein secretion within the narrow adhesion interface leads to a nanofibrillar protein layer manipulated by shear stresses, protected by calcite, and containing a cocktail of chemically active molecules and proteins. Here we use in vivo imaging, mechanics, and spectroscopy of barnacle growth and development, coupled with mass spectrometry and proteomics to reveal much about the biophysics and biochemistry of barnacle adhesion. We will discuss the role of interfacial processes, self-assembly, amino acid composition, and chemical manipulation in the construction and function of the adhesive.