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Updated: Aug 15, 2025

The Barnacle Balanus improvisus as a Marine Model - Culturing and Gene Expression
Published on: August 8, 2018
[The adhesion mechanism of barnacle and its cement proteins: a review]
Xuxia Wang1,2, Longyu Zhang2, Lei Wang3
1School of Urban Construction, Wuchang Shouyi University, Wuhan 430064, Hubei, China.
Abstract:
The adhesive protein secreted by marine sessile animals can resist the resistance of water and exert stickiness under the humid environment. It has become a candidate for the development of high-performance materials in the field of biomedicine and bionics. Barnacles are as one of the marine macrofoulers that can be firmly attached to the underwater substrate materials with different surface characteristics through its cement proteins. To date, the adhesion process of barnacle has been understood in-depth, but the specific underwater adhesion mechanism has not been elucidated and needs further exploration. This review first presented an overview of barnacle and its adhesion process, followed by summarizing the advances of barnacle adhesive protein, its production methods, and applications. Moreover, challenges and future perspectives were prospected.
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