Hypoxia weakens mussel attachment by interrupting DOPA cross-linking during adhesive plaque curing.

ABSTRACT: Marine mussels (Mytilus spp.) attach to a wide variety of surfaces underwater using a network of byssal threads, each tipped with a protein-based adhesive plaque that uses the surrounding seawater environment as a curing agent. Plaques undergo environmental post-processing, requiring a basic seawater pH be maintained for up to 8 days for the adhesive to strengthen completely. Given the sensitivity of plaques to local pH conditions long after deposition, we investigated the effect of other aspects of the seawater environment that are known to vary in nearshore habitats on plaque curing. The effect of seawater temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen concentration were investigated using tensile testing, atomic force microscopy and amino acid compositional analysis. High temperature

SUBMITTER: George MN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6228490 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature