Melanin and Glycera jaws: emerging dark side of a robust biocomposite structure.
Defining the design principles guiding the fabrication of superior biocomposite structures from an assemblage of ordinary molecules is a key goal of biomimetics. Considering their low degree of mineralization, Glycera jaws have been shown to be extraordinarily resistant to abrasion based on the metric hardness3/Young's modulus2. The jaws also exhibit an impressive chemical inertness withstanding boiling concentrated hydrochloric acid as well as boiling concentrated sodium hydroxide. A major organic component largely responsible for the chemical inertness of the jaws has been characterized using a spectrophotometric assay for melanin content, 13C solid state nuclear magnetic resonance, IR spectroscopy, and laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and is identified here as a melanin-like network. Although melanin is widely distributed as a pigment in tissues and other structural biomaterials, to our knowledge, Glycera jaws represent the first known integument to exploit melanin as a cohesive load- and shape-bearing material.
Moses
Dana N
DN
Program of Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106, USA. moses@lifesci.ucsb.edu
Harreld
John H
JH
Stucky
Galen D
GD
Waite
J Herbert
JH
D000818:Animals; D032701:Biomimetics; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007568:Jaw / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D008543:Melanins / Q000737:chemistry*; D011077:Polychaeta / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*
D008543:Melanins