A strong quick-release biointerface in mussels mediated by serotonergic cilia-based adhesion
Jenaes Sivasundarampillai1, Lucia Youssef1, Tobias Priemel1
1Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada.
Abstract:
The mussel byssus stem provides a strong and compact mechanically mismatched biointerface between living tissue and a nonliving biopolymer. Yet, in a poorly understood process, mussels can simply jettison their entire byssus, rebuilding a new one in just hours. We characterized the structure and composition of the byssus biointerface using histology, confocal Raman mapping, phase contrast-enhanced microcomputed tomography, and advanced electron microscopy, revealing a sophisticated junction consisting of abiotic biopolymer sheets interdigitated between living extracellular matrix. The sheet surfaces are in intimate adhesive contact with billions of motile epithelial cilia that control biointerface strength and stem release through their collective movement, which is regulated neurochemically. We posit that this may involve a complex sensory pathway by which sessile mussels respond to environmental stresses to release and relocate.
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