Surface Interactions of Model Peptides for Mussel Adhesive Protein

The mussel adhesive protein Mefp-1 is a natural, strong and durable adhesive that is stable under corrosive, saline conditions. Mefp-1 is found in the marine mussel Mytilus edulis and it has a molecular weight of ca. 130,000. The primary structure is mainly composed of repeating decapetides: Ala-Lys-Pro -Ser-Tyr Hyp-Hyp-Thr-DOPA-Lys. To elucidate the mechanism by which Mefp-1 bonds to metal surfaces, we have used surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to study the interactions of peptides related to the Mefp-1 decapeptide repeat with gold surfaces. We have concluded that the tyrosine residue and the carboxyl terminus interact strongly with the gold surface, and that proline and hydroxyproline constrain the conformations of the peptides, thereby limiting the types of possible interactions of the functional groups with the gold surface.