Mussel Adhesive-Inspired Proteomimetic Polymer

Or Berger, Claudia Battistella, Yusu Chen, Julia Oktawiec, Zofia E. Siwicka, Danielle Tullman-Ercek, Muzhou Wang, Nathan C. Gianneschi*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Herein, a synthetic polymer proteomimetic is described that reconstitutes the key structural elements and function of mussel adhesive protein. The proteomimetic was prepared via graft-through ring-opening metathesis polymerization of a norbornenyl-peptide monomer. The peptide was derived from the natural underwater glue produced by marine mussels that is composed of a highly repetitive 10 amino acid tandem repeat sequence. The hypothesis was that recapitulation of the repeating unit in this manner would provide a facile route to a nature-inspired adhesive. To this end, the material, in which the arrangement of peptide units was as side chains on a brush polymer rather than in a linear fashion as in the natural protein, was examined and compared to the native protein. Mechanical measurements of adhesion forces between solid surfaces revealed improved adhesion properties over the natural protein, making this strategy attractive for diverse applications. One such application is demonstrated, using the polymers as a surface adhesive for the immobilization of live cells.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)4383-4392
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume144
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 16 2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemistry(all)
  • Biochemistry
  • Catalysis
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry

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