To anchor in seashore habitats, mussels fabricate adhesive byssus fibers that are mechanically reinforced by protein-metal coordination mediated by 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). The mechanism by which metal ions are integrated during byssus formation remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the byssus formation process in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, combining traditional and advanced methods to identify how and when metals are incorporated. Mussels store iron and vanadium ions in intracellular metal storage particles (MSPs) complexed with previously unknown catechol-based biomolecules. During adhesive formation, stockpiled secretory vesicles containing concentrated fluid proteins are mixed with MSPs within a microfluidic-like network of interconnected channels where they coalesce, forming protein-metal bonds within the nascent byssus. These findings advance our understanding of metal use in biological materials with implications for next-generation metallopolymers and adhesives.

中文翻译：

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贻贝类微流控制备金属离子固化生物粘合剂

为了在海边栖息地锚定，贻贝制造了粘性的 byssus 纤维，这些纤维通过由 3,4-二羟基苯丙氨酸 (DOPA) 介导的蛋白质-金属配位进行机械增强。在byssus形成过程中金属离子整合的机制仍然未知。在这项研究中，我们研究了蓝贻贝（Mytilus edulis ）中的足底形成过程，结合传统和先进的方法来确定金属的加入方式和时间。贻贝将铁和钒离子储存在与以前未知的基于儿茶酚的生物分子复合的细胞内金属储存颗粒 (MSP) 中。在粘合剂形成过程中，储存的含有浓缩流体蛋白的分泌囊泡与 MSP 在相互连接的通道的微流体样网络中混合，它们在此处聚结，在新生的 byssus 内形成蛋白质-金属键。这些发现促进了我们对金属在生物材料中的使用的理解，并对下一代金属聚合物和粘合剂产生了影响。