Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 20, 2025

Modeling Mucosal Candidiasis in Larval Zebrafish by Swimbladder Injection
Published on: November 27, 2014
A New Model of Hagfish Slime Mucous Vesicle Stabilization and Deployment
Douglas S Fudge1,2, Shannon N Ferraro2, Sara A Siwiecki1
1Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, California 92866, United States.
Abstract:
Hagfishes thwart predators by releasing large volumes of gill-clogging slime, which consists of mucus and silk-like fibers. The mucous fraction originates within gland mucous cells, which release numerous vesicles that swell and rupture when ejected into seawater. Several studies have examined the function of hagfish slime mucous vesicles in vitro, but a comprehensive model of their biophysics is lacking. Here, we tested the hypothesis that vesicles contain polyanionic glycoproteins stabilized by divalent cations and deploy in seawater via exchange of divalent for monovalent cations. We also tested the hypothesis that vesicle swelling and stabilization are governed by "Hofmeister effects". We found no evidence for either hypothesis. Our results show that hagfish mucous granules are only stabilized by multivalent anions, and pH titration experiments underscore these results. Our results lead us to the conclusion that the hagfish slime mucous gel is in fact polycationic in nature.
Related Concept Videos
SNAREs and Membrane Fusion
SNAREs exist in pairs that symmetrically interact and catalyze the fusion of the lipid bilayers in vesicle and target organelle. v-SNARE in the vesicle membrane are single polypeptide chains that bind to a complementary t-SNARE, composed of 2...
Mechanism of Filopodia Formation
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...
Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
Cell Motility through Blebbing
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...

