title: Synergistic roles for lipids and proteins in the permanent adhesive of barnacle larvae.
abstract: Thoracian barnacles rely heavily upon their ability to adhere to surfaces and are environmentally and economically important as biofouling pests. Their adhesives have unique attributes that define them as targets for bio-inspired adhesive development. With the aid of multi-photon and broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopies, we report that the larval adhesive of barnacle cyprids is a bi-phasic system containing lipids and phosphoproteins, working synergistically to maximize adhesion to diverse surfaces under hostile conditions. Lipids, secreted first, possibly displace water from the surface interface creating a conducive environment for introduction of phosphoproteins while simultaneously modulating the spreading of the protein phase and protecting the nascent adhesive plaque from bacterial biodegradation. The two distinct phases are contained within two different granules in the cyprid cement glands, implying far greater complexity than previously recognized. Knowledge of the lipidic contribution will hopefully inspire development of novel synthetic bioadhesives and environmentally benign antifouling coatings.
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, USA.
authors.forename: Neeraj V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Gohad
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aldred
authors.affiliation: Materials Measurement Laboratory, National Institutes of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hartshorn
authors.affiliation: Materials Measurement Laboratory, National Institutes of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jong Lee
authors.affiliation: Materials Measurement Laboratory, National Institutes of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
authors.forename: Marcus T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Cicerone
authors.affiliation: Duke University Marine Laboratory, Nicholas School of the Environment, 135 Duke Marine, Lab Road, Beaufort, North Carolina 28516-9721, USA.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Orihuela
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.
authors.forename: Anthony S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Clare
authors.affiliation: Duke University Marine Laboratory, Nicholas School of the Environment, 135 Duke Marine, Lab Road, Beaufort, North Carolina 28516-9721, USA.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rittschof
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mount
mesh_terms: D000268:Adhesiveness; D000818:Animals; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000502:physiology; D008055:Lipids / Q000502:physiology*; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000502:physiology*; D001468:Thoracica / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D010750:Phosphoproteins