Post by val on Nov 14, 2015 15:20:32 GMT -5
Slime contains mucus. But that’s not all. It also contains a secret ingredient: very strong, silk-like fibers. These fibers can span 15 centimeters (6 inches). Their role is to hold the slime together in a big webby mass. When a hagfish shoots slime at a predator, such as a shark, this goop can clog the attacker’s gills.
Fudge wanted to know how hagfish made such amazing fibers. Cells that produce the fibers are only about 100-millionths to 125-millionths of a meter (about 0.004 to 0.005 inch) long. How could these cells make fibers some 1,000 times longer than themselves?
To find out, Fudge’s team collected fiber-producing cells from hagfish. Then the researchers studied the cells using powerful microscopes. They found interesting changes in a part of the cell called the nucleus. This compartment holds the animal’s DNA. Like an instruction manual, DNA tells each cell what molecules to make.
At first, the nucleus was shaped like a sphere. But as the cell made fibers, the nucleus began to grow more cone-shaped. Then the tip of the cone grew skinnier and pointier. The nucleus also shrank as the cell filled with fibers.
It looked as if the fibers were wrapping around the nucleus, like thread wound around a spool. That “spool” might keep the fibers from getting tangled when the hagfish shoots out slime, Fudge suspects. His team published its findings in the April 4, 2014 issue of Nature Communications.
By learning more about hagfish slime, Fudge might find out how to create similar materials in the lab. Because the fish’s slime fibers are so strong, synthetic versions might be created to make ropes or even bulletproof vests. These products are usually made from petroleum-based materials. Making and disposing of these oil-based materials can harm the environment. Fibers made in the lab might be more eco-friendly.
So here again, mucus may seem gross, although it can be very useful. So don’t look down your nose at it!
Fudge wanted to know how hagfish made such amazing fibers. Cells that produce the fibers are only about 100-millionths to 125-millionths of a meter (about 0.004 to 0.005 inch) long. How could these cells make fibers some 1,000 times longer than themselves?
To find out, Fudge’s team collected fiber-producing cells from hagfish. Then the researchers studied the cells using powerful microscopes. They found interesting changes in a part of the cell called the nucleus. This compartment holds the animal’s DNA. Like an instruction manual, DNA tells each cell what molecules to make.
At first, the nucleus was shaped like a sphere. But as the cell made fibers, the nucleus began to grow more cone-shaped. Then the tip of the cone grew skinnier and pointier. The nucleus also shrank as the cell filled with fibers.
It looked as if the fibers were wrapping around the nucleus, like thread wound around a spool. That “spool” might keep the fibers from getting tangled when the hagfish shoots out slime, Fudge suspects. His team published its findings in the April 4, 2014 issue of Nature Communications.
By learning more about hagfish slime, Fudge might find out how to create similar materials in the lab. Because the fish’s slime fibers are so strong, synthetic versions might be created to make ropes or even bulletproof vests. These products are usually made from petroleum-based materials. Making and disposing of these oil-based materials can harm the environment. Fibers made in the lab might be more eco-friendly.
So here again, mucus may seem gross, although it can be very useful. So don’t look down your nose at it!