AsianScientist (Jul. 12, 2016) – Inspired by the adhering ability of mussels, researchers in Japan have developed a molecule that can bind very tightly to titanium.
This research, published in Angewandte Chemie, paves the way for artificial joints and dental implants with the beneficial biological properties of natural tissues such as bones and natural teeth.
Scientists from RIKEN were inspired by how mussels are able to attach themselves very tightly to even metallic surfaces due to a special protein found in their byssal threads. The protein, L-DOPA, is known to be able to bind very strongly to smooth surfaces such as rocks, ceramics or metals.
Interestingly, the same protein functions in humans as a precursor to dopamine, and is used as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
“We thought it would be interesting to try to use various techniques to attach a biologically active protein—in our case we chose insulin-like growth factor-1, a promoter of cell proliferation—to a titanium surface like those used in implants,” said first author Mr. Zhang Chen, who is an international program associate at the RIKEN Nano Medical Engineering Laboratory.
Using a combination of recombinant DNA technology and treatment with tyrosinase, they were able to create a hybrid protein that contained active parts of both the growth factor and L-DOPA. Thanks to the incorporation of the L-DOPA, the proteins bound strongly to the titanium surface, and remained attached even when the metal was washed with a water-based solution.
“We are very excited by this finding, because the modification process is a universal one that could be used with other proteins. It could allow us to prepare new cell-growth enhancing materials, with potential applications in cell culture systems and regenerative medicine, said Dr. Yoshihiro Ito, team leader of the Emergent Bioengineering Research Team of the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science.
“And it is particularly interesting that this is an example of biomimetics, where nature can teach us new ways to do things.”
The article can be found at: Zhang et al. (2016) A Bioorthogonal Approach for the Preparation of a Titanium-Binding Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Derivative Using Tyrosinase.
———
Source: RIKEN.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
