Abstract
Molluscs produce biopolymers with versatile properties, ranging from high-performance fibers to (underwater) adhesives and lubricants. Among them, snails show an exceptional range of material functions; as a single animal it secretes mucus to use as a lubricant for locomotion, an adhesive during diurnal rest, a sealant during hibernation and as a defensive agent when feeling disturbed or attacked. Our results show that, despite having properties that are in some cases contradictory, these mucus-based materials have a similar composition. We show that snails use collagen VI as a main structural component and add amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) during mucus secretion. ACC functions as an ion source in wet mucus types, most likely for cross-linking, or as a mineral precursor in dry mucus types. [1] Furthermore, we study the storage and secretion strategies of mucus producing tissue and the mechanical properties of different mucus types.
Mariella Gabler, Emeline Raguin, Ernesto Scoppola, Barbara Steigenberger, Assa Yeroslaviz, Peter Werner, Peter Fratzl, Franziska Jehle (2026) Science, 393, 596-600. DOI: 10.1126/science.adx7367
Biography
Franziska Jehle started her PhD in the group of Prof. Matthew Harrington in the Biomaterials Department led by Prof. Peter Fratzl at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (MPICI) in 2015, where she investigated the hierarchical structure, composition and assembly of the mussel byssus cuticle. After a Postdoc at the McGill Chemistry Department in Canada, she returned to the MPICI, where she currently leads a research group on mucus-based materials. Her group investigates the molecular basis for the multiple functions of snail mucus, as well as the storage, assembly and secretion of different mucus types and their mechanical properties.