Interfacial pH during mussel adhesive plaque formation.

TitleInterfacial pH during mussel adhesive plaque formation.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2015
AuthorsRodriguez, NRMartinez, Das, S, Kaufman, Y, Israelachvili, JN, Waite, JH
JournalBiofouling
Volume31
Issue2
Pagination221-7
Date Published2015
ISSN1029-2454
KeywordsAdhesiveness, Aluminum Silicates, Animals, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Lipid Bilayers, Mytilus, Proteins
Abstract

Mussel (Mytilus californianus) adhesion to marine surfaces involves an intricate and adaptive synergy of molecules and spatio-temporal processes. Although the molecules, such as mussel foot proteins (mfps), are well characterized, deposition details remain vague and speculative. Developing methods for the precise surveillance of conditions that apply during mfp deposition would aid both in understanding mussel adhesion and translating this adhesion into useful technologies. To probe the interfacial pH at which mussels buffer the local environment during mfp deposition, a lipid bilayer with tethered pH-sensitive fluorochromes was assembled on mica. The interfacial pH during foot contact with modified mica ranged from 2.2 to 3.3, which is well below the seawater pH of ~ 8. The acidic pH serves multiple functions: it limits mfp-Dopa oxidation, thereby enabling the catecholic functionalities to adsorb to surface oxides by H-bonding and metal ion coordination, and provides a solubility switch for mfps, most of which aggregate at pH ≥ 7-8.

DOI10.1080/08927014.2015.1026337
Alternate JournalBiofouling
PubMed ID25875963
PubMed Central IDPMC4420479
Grant List1 S10 OD010610-01A1 / OD / NIH HHS / United States
R01 DE018468 / DE / NIDCR NIH HHS / United States
R01 DE018468 / DE / NIDCR NIH HHS / United States
S10 OD010610 / OD / NIH HHS / United States