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Hagfish slime: uses in research

Also: hagfish slime threads, Myxine, slime threads

Hagfishes are jawless, eel-shaped sea animals that release a defensive slime when attacked. The slime is mostly seawater trapped among mucus and long, fine protein threads, and those threads have been studied as a model for strong, sustainable protein fibres.

Known properties: Hagfish slime

Only what the cited papers report.

  • The slime is almost three orders of magnitude more dilute than typical mucus secretions. doi:10.1242/jeb.01963
  • The protein threads dominate the slime's material properties and give it elasticity; the mucins add viscosity. doi:10.1242/jeb.01963

Uses proposed by researchers for this topic are listed on Potential uses.

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Timeline

  1. 2005 What hagfish slime is made of
  2. 2010 Slime threads as a model for protein fibres

Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
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biology

lab biology 2005

What hagfish slime is made of

Fudge and colleagues found that hagfish slime is almost a thousand times more dilute than typical mucus. It is mostly seawater held between mucin-coated protein threads, which give the slime its elasticity and make it work more like a fine sieve than ordinary mucus, consistent with the idea that it evolved to defend against gill-breathing predators.

As reported in: Fudge, Levy, Chiu et al. (2005). Composition, morphology and mechanics of hagfish slime. Journal of Experimental Biology. doi:10.1242/jeb.01963

Abstract only

textiles

lab textiles 2010

Slime threads as a model for protein fibres

Fudge and colleagues showed that hagfish slime threads, once drawn out and processed, become exceptionally strong and tough fibres, and proposed them as a better model than spider silk for making sustainable protein fibres.

As reported in: Fudge, Hillis, Levy et al. (2010). Hagfish slime threads as a biomimetic model for high performance protein fibres. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics. doi:10.1088/1748-3182/5/3/035002

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