Thread Cells from the Slime Glands of Hagfish (Myxinidae)

Fernholm, Bo

doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.1981.tb00623.x

Cited by 51 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…Thinking about the slime in this way is remarkably consistent with the hypothesis that the slime functions as a defence against gillbreathing predators (Fernholm, 1981;Martini, 1998). If the slime indeed evolved as something that could bind to gills and disrupt respiratory flow, one would not necessarily expect it to bind water irreversibly; slowing it down would be sufficient.…”

Section: A Model Of Hagfish Slime Structure and Mechanicssupporting

confidence: 51%

“…Hagfish slime differs from other animal slimes in that it contains not only slippery mucins, but also fine fibres, or 'slime threads', which are believed to lend it strength and cohesion (Downing et al, 1981b;Fernholm, 1981;Koch et al, 1991b). The slime is formed when specialized slime glands eject coiled threads (or 'skeins') and mucin vesicles into seawater (Fig.·2).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Composition, morphology and mechanics of hagfish slime

Fudge

Levy

Chiu

et al. 2005

Journal of Experimental Biology

155

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Hagfish slime consists of mucins and protein threads that are released from slime glands and mix with seawater to produce an ephemeral material with intriguing physical properties. We recently characterized the mechanics of the slime's fibrous component, and here we report the first mechanical properties of the mucin component and the slime as a whole. Our results suggest that hagfishes can produce remarkable quantities of the slime because it is almost three orders of magnitude more dilute than typical mucus secretions. Mechanical experiments using whole slime produced in vitro demonstrate that the slime threads dominate the slime's material properties and impart elasticity. Mucins impart viscosity at the strain rates tested and are important for rapid deployment of the slime. We also found that slime threads are tapered at both ends, which suggested to us that hagfish slime might best be modeled as a discontinuous fibre-reinforced composite. Our measurements demonstrate that the mucins are not capable of providing shear linkage between threads, but this is not necessary because the threads are long enough to span an entire slime mass. Our findings suggest that hagfish slime consists mainly of bulk seawater entrained between mucin-coated threads, and in this way functions more like a fine sieve than coherent mucus. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the slime has evolved as a defense against gill-breathing predators.

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Section: A Model Of Hagfish Slime Structure and Mechanicssupporting

confidence: 51%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Composition, morphology and mechanics of hagfish slime

Fudge

Levy

Chiu

et al. 2005

Journal of Experimental Biology

155

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“…Using SEM, Fernholm (Fernholm, 1981) observed fibrous structures bridging adjacent threads of intact skeins, but did not speculate on their significance. Our SEM analysis revealed that the same structures observed by Fernholm are present in stabilizing solutions, but not in unraveling treatments.…”

Section: Research Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The slime is used as a defense mechanism against gill-breathing predators (Lim et al, 2006), and may be used for other functions as well (Fernholm, 1981;Zintzen et al, 2011). Its components are produced in and released from glands situated ventrolaterally along the length of the animal on both sides (Newby, 1946).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each GMC produces hundreds of tiny (3-7 μm in diameter) mucin vesicles containing condensed mucous (Luchtel et al, 1991), while each GTC produces a single, ~15 cmlong intermediate filament-rich thread that is tightly coiled and packed in a precisely organized manner into a 120-150 μm by 50-60 μm ovoid bundle called a skein (Newby, 1946;Fernholm, 1981;Downing et al, 1981;Fudge et al, 2003). When the muscle layer surrounding a gland contracts, mature GMCs and GTCs are forced through the narrow gland pore, which shears off their plasma membranes and releases their contents into the environment (Fernholm, 1981). Each gland only releases a fraction of a milliliter of slime exudate at a time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spontaneous unraveling of hagfish slime thread skeins is mediated by a seawater-soluble protein adhesive

Bernards

Oke

Heyland

et al. 2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Hagfishes are known for their ability to rapidly produce vast quantities of slime when provoked. The slime is formed via the interaction between seawater and two components released by the slime glands: mucin vesicles from gland mucous cells, which swell and rupture in seawater to form a network of mucus strands, and intermediate filament-rich threads, which are produced within gland thread cells as tightly coiled bundles called skeins. A previous study showed that the unraveling of skeins from Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) requires both the presence of mucins and hydrodynamic mixing. In contrast, skeins from Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii) unravel in the absence of both mucins and mixing. We tested the hypothesis that spontaneous unraveling of E. stoutii skeins is triggered by the dissolution of a seawater-soluble protein adhesive and the release of stored strain energy within the coiled thread. Here we show that, as predicted by this hypothesis, unraveling can be initiated by a protease under conditions in which unraveling does not normally occur. We also demonstrate, using high resolution scanning electron microscopy, that the treatment of skeins with solutions that cause unraveling also leads to the disappearance of surface and inter-thread features that remain when skeins are washed with stabilizing solutions. Our study provides a mechanism for the deployment of thread skeins in Pacific hagfish slime, and raises the possibility of producing novel biomimetic protein adhesives that are salt, temperature and kosmotrope sensitive.

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Biomechanical properties of intermediate filaments: from tissues to single filaments and back

2006

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The animal cell cytoskeleton consists of three interconnected filament systems: actin-containing microfilaments (MFs), microtubules (MTs), and the lesser known intermediate filaments (IFs). All IF proteins share a common tripartite domain structure and the ability to assemble into 8-12 nm wide filaments. Electron microscopy data suggest that IFs are built according to a completely different plan from that of MFs and MTs. IFs are known to impart mechanical stability to cells and tissues but, until recently, the biomechanical properties of single IFs were unknown. However, with the discovery of naturally occurring micrometer-wide IF bundles and the development of new methodologies to mechanically probe single filaments, it is now possible to propose a more unified view of IF biomechanics. Unlike MFs and MTs, single IFs can now be described as flexible, extensible and tough, which has important implications for our understanding of cell and tissue mechanics. Furthermore, the molecular mechanisms at play when IFs are deformed point toward a pivotal role for them in mechanotransduction.

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Thread Cells from the Slime Glands of Hagfish (Myxinidae)

Cited by 51 publications

References 12 publications

Composition, morphology and mechanics of hagfish slime

Composition, morphology and mechanics of hagfish slime

Spontaneous unraveling of hagfish slime thread skeins is mediated by a seawater-soluble protein adhesive

Biomechanical properties of intermediate filaments: from tissues to single filaments and back

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