ABSTRACT Adhesion beyond the interface: molecular adaptations of the mussel byssus to the intertidal zone by Dusty Rose Miller The California mussel, adheres robustly in the high-energy and Mytilus californianus, oxidizing intertidal zone with a fibrous holdfast called the byssus using (Dopa)-containing adhesive mussel foot proteins (mfps). There are many supporting roles to mussel adhesion that are intimately linked and ultimately responsible for mussel byssus’s durable and dynamic adhesion. This dissertation explores these supporting mechanisms, including delivery of materials underwater, iron binding, friction, and antioxidant activity. As the outermost covering of the byssus, the cuticle deserves particular attention for its supporting roles to adhesion including the high stiffness and extensibility of the byssal cuticle, which M. californianus make it one of the most energy tolerant materials known. The cuticle’s matrix-granule composite structure contributes to its toughness by microcracking between its harder granules and softer matrix. We investigated delivery of cuticular material underwater, cohesion of cuticle proteins, and surface damage mitigation by cuticle protein-based coacervates. To investigate underwater material delivery, we made cuticle matrix mimics by coacervating a key cuticular protein, foot protein 1, mfp-1, with Mytilus californianus
ABSTRACT Adhesion beyond the interface: molecular adaptations of the mussel byssus to the intertidal zone by Dusty Rose Miller The California mussel, Mytilus californianus, adheres robustly in the high-energy and oxidizing intertidal zone with a fibrous holdfast called the byssus using (Dopa)-containing adhesive mussel foot proteins (mfps). There are many supporting roles to mussel adhesion that are intimately linked and ultimately responsible for mussel byssus’s durable and dynamic adhesion. This dissertation explores these supporting mechanisms, including delivery of materials underwater, iron binding, friction, and antioxidant activity. As the outermost covering of the byssus, the cuticle deserves particular attention for its supporting roles to adhesion including the high stiffness and extensibility of the M. californianus byssal cuticle, which make it one of the most energy tolerant materials known. The cuticle’s matrix-granule composite structure contributes to its toughness by microcracking between its harder granules and softer matrix. We investigated delivery of cuticular material underwater, cohesion of cuticle proteins, and surface damage mitigation by cuticle protein-based coacervates. To investigate underwater material delivery, we made cuticle matrix mimics by coacervating a key cuticular protein, Mytilus californianus foot protein 1, mfp-1, with