In Vivo Residue-Specific Dopa-Incorporated Engineered Mussel Bioglue with Enhanced Adhesion and Water Resistance

Abstract

Misaminoacylation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) molecules to tRNATyr by endogenous tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase allowed the quantitative replacement of tyrosine residues with a yield of over 90% by an in vivo residue-specific incorporation strategy, to create, for the first time, engineered mussel adhesive proteins (MAPs) in Escherichia coli with a very high Dopa content, close to that of natural MAPs. The Dopa-incorporated MAPs exhibited a superior surface adhesion and water resistance ability by assistance of Dopa-mediated interactions including the oxidative Dopa crosslinking, and furthermore, showed underwater adhesive properties comparable to those of natural MAPs. These results propose promising use of Dopa-incorporated engineered MAPs as bioglues or adhesive hydrogels for practical underwater applications.