Amino acid puts the
muscle in mussel glue
New information about the proteins
that mussels use to anchor themselves underwater could lead to glues
for biomedical and industrial applications.
References:
Yu, M., J. Hwang, and T.J. Deming. 1999. Role of L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine
in mussel adhesive proteins. Journal of the American Chemical Society
121(June 23):5825.
Further Readings:
1992. Silk, glue proteins in worm's cement. Science News 142(July
25):60.
1988. Fungus spores use superglue. Science News 133(Jan. 30):77.
Amato, I. 1991. Stuck on mussels. Science News 139(Jan. 5):8.
Coyne, K.J., X.-X. Qin, and J.H. Waite. 1997. Extensible collagen
in mussel byssus: A natural block copolymer. Science 277(Sept.
19):1830.
Sources:
Timothy J. Deming
University of California, Santa Barbara
Departments of Materials and Chemistry
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5050
Web site: http://www.mrl.ucsb.edu/~tdeming/
Herbert Waite
University of California, Santa Barbara
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Web site: http://lifesci.ucsb.edu/mcdb/faculty/waite/waite.htm
From Science
News, Vol. 156, No. 1, July 3, 1999, p. 5.
Copyright © 1999, Science Service.
