Amyloid-Based Natural Adhesives and Cements - The Functional Fold: Amyloid Structures in Nature - page 131

Chapter 8

Amyloid-Based Natural Adhesives
and Cements

Anika S. Mostaert a,b and Suzanne P. Jarvis b,c
a

School of Biology and Environmental Science ,

b

Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research , and

c

School of Physics , University College Dublin , Dublin 4 , Ireland

[e-mail]; [e-mail]

Functional amyloid has recently emerged as an underlying strategy
for providing mechanical strength to many natural adhesives
and cements from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms.
Specifically, functional amyloid has been identified in adhesives
extruded from marine invertebrate, algae, and as a component of
barnacle cement. In addition, cursory evidence exists to suggest
that a number of other adhesive systems may also utilize functional
amyloid. Atomic force microscopy has allowed nanoscale mechanical
responses of functional amyloid fibrils to be made directly from the
natural adhesive matrix, and has led to unexpected insights into
the function of amyloid in natural materials. The molecular level
origin of cohesive strength was found to be associated with the