Evidence that gecko setae are coated with an ordered nanometre-thin lipid film

Rasmussen, Mette H.; Holler, Katinka Rønnow; Baio, Joe E.; Jaye, Cherno; Fischer, Daniel A.; Gorb, Stanislav N.; Weidner, Tobias

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2022.0093

Evidence that gecko setae are coated with an ordered nanometre-thin lipid film

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Biology Letters (Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2022.0093· OSTI ID:1982740

Rasmussen, Mette H. ^[1]; Holler, Katinka Rønnow ^[1]; Baio, Joe E. ^[2]; Jaye, Cherno ^[3]; Fischer, Daniel A. ^[3]; ^[4]; ^[1]

Aarhus Univ. (Denmark)
Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States)
National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD (United States)
Univ. of Kiel (Germany). Institute of Zoology

The fascinating adhesion of gecko to virtually any material has been related to surface interactions of myriads of spatula at the tips of gecko feet. Surprisingly, the molecular details of the surface chemistry of gecko adhesion are still largely unknown. Lipids have been identified within gecko adhesive pads. However, the location of the lipids, the extent to which spatula are coated with lipids, and how the lipids are structured are still open questions. Lipids can modulate adhesion properties and surface hydrophobicity and may play an important role in adhesion. We have therefore studied the molecular structure of lipids at spatula surfaces using near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure imaging. We provide evidence that a nanometre-thin layer of lipids is present at the spatula surfaces of the tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) and that the lipids form ordered, densely packed layers. Such dense, thin lipid layers can effectively protect the spatula proteins from dehydration by forming a barrier against water evaporation. Lipids can also render surfaces hydrophobic and thereby support the gecko adhesive system by enhancement of hydrophobic–hydrophobic interactions with surfaces.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Aarhus Univ. (Denmark); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0012704

OSTI ID:: 1982740

Journal Information:: Biology Letters (Online), Journal Name: Biology Letters (Online) Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 18; ISSN 1744-957X

Publisher:: The Royal SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Additional file 1 of Spatio-temporal expression patterns of glycine-rich beta proteins and cysteine-rich beta proteins in setae development of Gekko japonicus Xia, Longjie; Li, Chao; Chen, Shengnan figshare https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25940098.v1	image	January 2024

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
adhesion
biotribology
integument
reptiles
spectro-microscopy
toe pad

Methods and additional data from Evidence that gecko setae are coated with an ordered nanometer-thin lipid film Rasmussen, Mette H.; Holler, Katinka Rønnow; Baio, Joe E. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20078965.v1 The current record is supplemented by this text	text	January 2022
Supplementary material from "Evidence that gecko setae are coated with an ordered nanometer-thin lipid film" Rasmussen, Mette H.; Holler, Katinka Rønnow; Baio, Joe E. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6049219.v1 The current record is supplemented by this collection	collection	January 2022

Evidence that gecko setae are coated with an ordered nanometre-thin lipid film

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