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Materials

Barnacles Stick With Amyloid Adhesive

Traditionally associated with disease, amyloid gives the crustaceans their grip

by Bethany Halford
March 1, 2010 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 88, Issue 9

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Credit: Langmuir
Amyloid fibrils in barnacle adhesive.
Credit: Langmuir
Amyloid fibrils in barnacle adhesive.

The hardy cement that gives barnacles their sticking strength gets its gripping power from proteinaceous nanofibrils made mostly of amyloid, according to a new report (Langmuir, DOI: 10.1021/la9041309). Researchers led by Daniel E. Barlow of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., conducted an in-depth characterization of the cement produced by Balanus amphitrite barnacles and found that the secondary structure of the nanofibrillar protein is made largely of β-sheets characteristic of amyloid protein. The finding contradicts previous reports that estimated the amyloid content of barnacle cement to be about 5%. Given the strong and robust nature of barnacle adhesion, it’s not surprising that amyloid is a major component of the cement, the researchers note. After all, amyloid has remarkable properties as a biomaterial: It strongly resists degradation, and its strength has been compared with that of steel. “Our results highlight an emerging trend in structural biology showing that amyloid, historically associated with disease, also has functional roles,” the researchers write.

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