Conserved leucine-rich repeat proteins in the adhesive projectile slime of velvet worms
The slime of velvet worms (Onychophora) is a protein-based bioadhesive that undergoes rapid, yet reversible transition from a fluid into stiff fibers used for prey capture and defense, but the mechanism by which this phase transition functions is largely unknown. Here, integrating transcriptomic and proteomic approaches with AI-guided structure predictions, we discover a group of evolutionarily conserved leucine-rich repeat (LRR) proteins in velvet worm slime that readily adopt a receptor-like, protein-binding "horseshoe" structure. Our structural predictions suggest dimerization of LRR proteins and support their interactions with conserved β-sheet-rich domains of high-molecular-weight proteins, the primary building blocks of velvet worm slime fibers. This suggests that LRR proteins might be involved in reversible, receptor-based supramolecular interactions in these biofibers, providing potential avenues for fabricating fully recyclable (bio)polymeric materials.
Authors
- Darren C. Browne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3590-9153)
- Georg Mayer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0737-2440)
- Alexander B. Baer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1590-1808)
- Ali Miserez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0864-8170)
- Radoslaw M. Sobota (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2455-2526)
- Srinivasaraghavan Kannan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9539-5249)
- Zhaolong Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9185-9691)
- Chandra Shekhar Verma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0733-9798)
- Alexandre Poulhazan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5217-5070)
- Lars Hering (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4469-991X)
- Shawn Hoon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3892-3332)
- Ivo de Sena Oliveira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8340-7660)
- Matthew J. Harrington (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1417-9251)
- Quentin Moana Perrin
- Xue Guo
Institutions
- University of Kassel (DE)
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research (SG)
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- Nanyang Technological University (SG)
- University of the West (US)
- Division of Materials Science and Engineering (AU)
- Bioinformatics Institute (SG)
- University of the West Indies (BB)
- McGill University (CA)
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (SG)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2025-03-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2416282122
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Tardigrade Biology and Ecology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.03
Funders
- Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
- National Research Foundation
- National Research Foundation Singapore
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Singapore Energy Centre
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada