Comparative mucomic analysis of three functionally distinct Cornu aspersum Secretions

Authors:

Antonio R. Cerullo1,2,3, Maxwell B. McDermott3, Lauren E. Pepi4, Zhi-Lun Liu1,5, Diariou Barry1 , Sheng Zhang1 , Xu Yang4 , Xi Chen1,5,6,7, Parastoo Azadi4 , Mande Holford2,3,6,8,9 & Adam B. Braunschweig1,2,3,6

Affiliation:

1The Advanced Science Research Center, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 85 St. Nicholas Terrace, New York, NY 10031, USA.

2The PhD Program in Biochemistry, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.

3Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Hunter College, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.

4Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, 315 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

5Department of Chemical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA.

6The PhD Program in Chemistry, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.

7The PhD Program in Physics, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.

8The PhD Program in Biology, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.

9Department of Invertebrate Zoology, The American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA.

Description:

Every animal secretes mucus, placing them among the most diverse biological materials. Mucus hydrogels are complex mixtures of water, ions, carbohydrates, and proteins. Uncertainty surrounding their composition and how interactions between components contribute to mucus function complicates efforts to exploit their properties. There is substantial interest in commercializing mucus from the garden snail, Cornu aspersum, for skincare, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and composite materials. C. aspersum secretes three mucus—one shielding the animal from environmental threats, one adhesive mucus from the pedal surface of the foot, and another pedal mucus that is lubricating. It remains a mystery how compositional differences account for their substantially different properties. Here, we characterize mucus proteins, glycosylation, ion content, and mechanical properties that could be used to provide insight into structure-function relationships through an integrative “mucomics” approach. We identify macromolecular components of these hydrogels, including a previously unreported protein class termed Conserved Anterior Mollusk Proteins (CAMPs). Revealing differences between C. aspersum mucus shows how considering structure at all levels can inform the design of mucus-inspired materials.

Publications:

  • Cerullo, Antonio R., et al.; Comparative mucomic analysis of three functionally distinct Cornu aspersum Secretions.; Nature Communications, 2023
  • Tags:

    Glycosylation
    Hydrogels
    Ion content

    Related Projects:

    No related projects available


    Files:

    File Name File Description File Type File Size File URL
    Assignment_data Results docx 1.05 MB Login to download
    README Glycomics data and glycoproteomics data generated in this study were submitted to GlycoPost database under the accession number GPST000297 txt 0.62 KB Login to download