Hagfish Slime Threads

Hagfish Slime Threads

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Mucins and protein threads are the two major important parts of hagfish slime produced from slime glands. Hagfish release slime in different amounts, depending on the circumstances. They produce slime in small amounts while feeding on a carcass, a behaviour that might be designed to ward off other scavengers. Hagfish slime threads, which make the fibrous component of the defensive slime of hagfishes, it consist of primarily proteins from the intermediate filament family of proteins and possess impressive mechanical properties that make them attractive biomimetic models. The hagfish slime threads are tapered at both ends, and the hagfish slime threads have high performance properties that’s hagfish slime can be a resource for tomorrow’s natural fabric. Hagfish slime protein thread is 100 times thinner than the average human hair.

The slime contains tens of thousands of 1−3 μm diameter threads composed of proteins from the “intermediate filaments” family of proteins (IFs). IFs are ubiquitous 10 nm cytoskeletal elements found in most metazoan cells and also make up the fibrous component in mammalian α- keratins. The primary structure of IF proteins is a tripartite molecular organization with a central α-helical rod domain flanked by non-α-helical head and tail domains.