No fish tale: Squid 'teeth' could one day help with reconstructive surgery, study says
Nanoconfined β-Sheets Mechanically Reinforce the Supra-Biomolecular Network of Robust Squid Sucker Ring Teeth
Paul A. Guerette†, Shawn Hoon, Dawei Ding, Shahrouz Amini, Admir Masic, Vydianathan Ravi, Byrappa Venkatesh, James C. Weaver, and Ali Miserez
A protein found in squids may be the basis for strong but shapeable new biomaterials.
Each of the suction cups on squid tentacles, which the marine animals use to grab prey, contains a ring of sharp teeth.
The materials made from these “teeth” could eventually be used for everything from reconstructive surgery to artificial ligaments to eco-friendly packaging, according to a new study published in the American Chemical Society’s ACS Nano journal.
The squid sucker ring teeth (SRT) are made entirely of proteins, which sets them apart from other polymers, researchers said.
For a previous study, the scientists identified and decoded one of the “suckerin” proteins and discovered that it can be transformed into different shapes.
In the new study, researchers in Singapore said they have found 37 more of these proteins in two species of squid and a cuttlefish.
They said the SRT proteins could prove to be an alternate to spider silk, which scientists have been trying to harness for years because of its incredible strength and flexibility.
“We envision SRT-based materials as artificial ligaments, scaffolds to grow bone and as sustainable materials for packaging, substituting for today's products made with fossil fuels,” study author Ali Miserez said in a release. “There is no shortage of ideas, though we are just beginning to work on these proteins.”
Nanoconfined β-Sheets Mechanically Reinforce the Supra-Biomolecular Network of Robust Squid Sucker Ring Teeth
Paul A. Guerette†, Shawn Hoon, Dawei Ding, Shahrouz Amini, Admir Masic, Vydianathan Ravi, Byrappa Venkatesh, James C. Weaver, and Ali Miserez
Abstract
The predatory efficiency of squid and cuttlefish (superorder Decapodiformes) is enhanced by robust Sucker Ring Teeth (SRT) that perform grappling functions during prey capture. Here, we show that SRT are composed entirely of related structural “suckerin” proteins whose modular designs enable the formation of nanoconfined β-sheet-reinforced polymer networks. Thirty-seven previously undiscovered suckerins were identified from transcriptomes assembled from three distantly related decapodiform cephalopods. Similarity in modular sequence design and exon–intron architecture suggests that suckerins are encoded by a multigene family. Phylogenetic analysis supports this view, revealing that suckerin genes originated in a common ancestor350 MYa and indicating that nanoconfined β-sheet reinforcement is an ancient strategy to create robust bulk biomaterials. X-ray diffraction, nanomechanical, and micro-Raman spectroscopy measurements confirm that the modular design of the suckerins facilitates the formation of β-sheets of precise nanoscale dimensions and enables their assembly into structurally robust supramolecular networks stabilized by cooperative hydrogen bonding. The suckerin gene family has likely played a key role in the evolutionary success of decapodiform cephalopods and provides a large molecular toolbox for biomimetic materials engineering.