New adhesive proteins from the Deep Sea hydrothermal vent mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus

Introduction: The biological and chemical diversity of marine environments have inspired researchers to look for unique compounds with potential application in different fields of Biotechnology. These marine environments represent thus untapped resources for the discovery of molecules with evolved biochemical specializations. The quest for unexploited marine natural products is now inspiring the development of new biomaterials that can lead to potential biomedical applications, such as improved medical adhesive, particularly for collagen-rich tissues. Objectives: To understand the interactions between collagen and adhesive mussel foot proteins (mfps) To investigate the biotechnological potential of the deep sea hydrothermal vent mussel adhesive proteins To investigate marine-derived adhesive proteins as new biomaterials for medical adhesives and wound healing enhancers to be used in skin tissue engineering. Expected results: Discovery of new genes encoding adhesive proteins; proteins with new aminoacids adapted to deep-sea environments; new interactions between foot mussels and collagen related proteins.