Absence of cross-linking via trans-glutaminase in barnacle cement and redefinition of the cement

Abstract

Balanomorphan barnacles attach their calcareous bases to a variety of substrata, including others of the same species, through secretion of an underwater adhesive, commonly referred to as cement. In this multi-functional process of underwater attachment, curing of the adhesive is crucial for the formation of a secure attachment. To date, there has been no direct evidence presented to suggest the involvement of cross-linking or polymerization in the cement curing process, despite the emergence of this hypothesis in the recent literature. A recently proposed mechanism for cement curing involves glutamyl-lysine cross-linking via the action of trans-glutaminase. However, in the opinion of the author, inadequate attention may have been paid to sample collection during the study and the conditions used in the analysis may not be adequate to support the conclusions of the paper. Indeed, further investigation, the results of which are presented here, did not provide any evidence to support adhesive curing via glutamyl-lysine cross-linking. Therefore, the hypothesis that the process of cement curing is similar to the clotting system of barnacle hemolymph is not compatible with the data reported so far. In order to allay any potential confusion, a new definition of the barnacle cement is proposed.

Keywords:

• barnacle
• cement
• adhesive
• curing
• trans-glutaminase
• cross-linking

Acknowledgements

Thanks are given to Prof. R. Kado and Dr Y. Matsuo for sampling and helpful discussions. The author is deeply grateful to Prof. J.-R. Shen of Okayama University for his careful correction of the manuscript, and greatly appreciates the efforts of the reviewers in improving the manuscript.