Counterplotting the Mechanosensing-Based Fouling Mechanism of Mussels against Fouling

Marine
organisms react to various factors when building colonies
for survival; however, severe accumulation of diverse organisms on
artificial structures located close to water causes large industrial
losses. Herein, we identify a concept in the development of antifouling
surfaces based on understanding the surface stiffness recognition
procedure of mussel adhesion at the genetic level. It was found that
on a soft surface the combination of decreased adhesive plaque size,
adhesion force, and plaque protein downregulation synergistically
weakens mussel wet adhesion and sometimes prevents mussels from anchoring,
mainly due to transcriptional changes within the mechanosensing pathway
and the adhesive proteins in secretory glands. In addition, the use
of soft substrates or antagonists of surface mechanosensing behavior
suppresses mussel fouling significantly.