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Comparative Animal Mucomics: Inspiration for Functional Materials from Ubiquitous and Understudied Biopolymers.
Antonio R Cerullo1,2,3, Tsoi Ying Lai2, Bassem Allam4
1The PhD Program in Biochemistry, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10016, United States.
ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
|December 15, 2020
Summary
Animal mucuses serve diverse functions, from lubrication to protection. Further research into their structure and genetics is needed to unlock new biomaterials and understand their complex hydrogel properties.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Biophysics
- Zoology
Background:
- Secreted animal mucuses exhibit diverse functions, including lubrication, adhesion, and barrier formation.
- Despite their ubiquity in animals, significant knowledge gaps exist regarding mucus hierarchical architectures, material properties, and genetic underpinnings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize current knowledge on secreted mucus structure and function.
- To highlight global research efforts investigating diverse animal mucuses.
- To identify emerging mucus properties and structure-function relationships in hydrogels.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing research on animal mucuses.
- Describing ongoing investigations by international research groups.
- Relating hierarchical structure to hydrogel function.
Main Results:
- Mucus research reveals novel properties and clarifies the link between hierarchical structure and hydrogel function.
- A call for a systematic, omics-style approach to mucus research (mucomics) is proposed.
- Anticipated outcomes include design principles for novel mucus-inspired materials.
Conclusions:
- Systematic study of animal mucuses is crucial for advancing the field of mucomics.
- Understanding mucus structure-function relationships will enable the design of advanced biomaterials.
- Future research directions focus on comparative analysis and genetic investigations.
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