A comparative study on the bulk adhesive strength of the recombinant mussel adhesive protein fp-3

Abstract

Mussel adhesive protein (MAP) type 3 (fp-3) is considered one of the key components for mussel adhesion. However, its bulk adhesive strength has not been characterized due to its availability in limited quantities. In the present work, a feasible production (∼47 mg l⁻¹) of recombinant fp-3 was achieved, and its bulk adhesive strength was measured for the first time; ∼0.57 MPa for the unmodified form and ∼0.94 and ∼2.28 MPa for the 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (DOPA)-modified form, having a 9.6% yield without and with oxidant treatment, respectively. Furthermore, values for the bulk adhesive strength of several DOPA-modified recombinant MAPs were compared. The maximum adhesive strength of DOPA-modified fp-3 after oxidant treatment was stronger than that of type 5 (fp-5), which has a 6.2% modification yield, and was comparable to that of hybrid types fp-131 and fp-151, which have similar yields (∼5%). The strong bulk adhesive property of recombinant fp-3 demonstrates its potential use as a promising bioadhesive.

Keywords:

• mussel adhesive protein
• fp-3
• bulk adhesive strength

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Marine Biotechnology program funded by the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs, Korea and the Rising Star program funded by POSTECH. Byeongseon Yang was supported by the Global PhD Fellowship funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea.