Adhesive proteins of a new glue in a freshwater model system

The demand for environmentally friendly, flexible and strong glues is expanding. Biological glues, produced by plants or animals, provide a promising resource for the development of synthetic counterparts. The knowledge on the composition of biological glues is scarce, but crucial for the successful development of new bio-inspired glues. The research of biological glues is mainly hampered by suitable model organisms with stable laboratory cultures and well-established methods. This project is aimed at the identification and characterization of the biological glue produced by the model organism Hydra vulgaris. Hydra is a small, aquatic animal that is attaching strongly but reversibly to many surfaces in freshwater lakes and streams. It is a frequently used model organism, resulting in many available tools that can be utilized to study its glue composition. We hypothesize that the glue is composed of a set of proteins and glycans, which play different roles in the adhesion of the animal to diverse substrates. As a first step, we will identify all proteins and glycans that are forming the Hydra glue. Then, protein and glycan localization within the glue and within the glue-producing cells will be visualized. We will interfere with the production of potential glue proteins in the animals and test the animals adhesion ability thereafter. Furthermore, the adhesion strength of Hydra attached to well- defined surfaces will be measured by subjecting them to removal stress in a water-jet system. Overall, our results will provide a comprehensive picture of the Hydra glue composition and how this animals are strongly but reversibly attaching themselves under challenging conditions.