Hagfish Slime Research

Research in this field is conducted in our lab by

The hagfishes are renowned for their ability to produce vast quantities of slime when provoked. The aim of my research is to describe and understand the mechanical properties of hagfish slime in terms of its molecular structure, as well as its functional significance for the animal.

Hagfish slime is produced in numerous glands that line both sides of the hagfish's body, and is usually released when they are stressed or provoked. The slime comes out of the glands in a concentrated form, but quickly swells when it contacts seawater. It is believed that the resulting cocoon of slime protects the hagfish from predatory attacks, and may even threaten to suffocate fish predators. A hagfish doesn't suffocate in its own slime because it has a clever trick for extricating itself it when danger passes - it simply ties itself in a knot and passes the knot down its body, thereby wiping the slime away.

Hagfish slime is unlike other slimy secretions in that it is reinforced with very fine fibres. Our data show that these fibres lend tensile strength and toughness to the slime. Subsequent research will investigate the mechanical properties of the mucus component of the slime, as well as the properties of naturally-produced slime cocoons.

Publications

Fudge, D.S., Gardner, K.H., Forsyth, V.T., Riekel, C. and Gosline, J.M., 2003. The mechanical properties of hydrated intermediate filaments: Insights from hagfish slime threads. In press at Biophys. J. 85(3).
Fudge, D.S. and Gosline, J.M., 2003. Molecular design of the α-keratin composite: Insights from a matrix-free model, hagfish slime threads. In review at Proc. Royal Soc. B.
Block, B.A., Dewar, H., Blackwell, S.B., Williams, T., Prince, E.D., Farwell, C.J., Boustany, A.,Teo, S.L.H, Seitz, A., Walli, A., and Fudge, D.S., 2001. Migratory movements, depth preferences, and thermal biology of Atlantic bluefin tuna. Science 293: 1310-1314.
Fudge, D.S. 2001. Hagfishes: champions of slime. Nature Australia 27: 60-9.
Fudge, D.S., Ballantyne, J.S., and Stevens, E.D. 2001. A test of biochemical symmorphosis in a heterothermic tissue: bluefin tuna white muscle. Am. J. Physiol. 280: R108-R114.
Fudge, D.S., Stevens, E.D., and Ballantyne, J.S., 1998. No evidence for homeoviscous adaptation in a heterothermic tissue: tuna heat exchangers. Am. J. Physiol. 275: R818-R823.
Block, B.A., Dewar, H., Williams, T., Prince, E.D., Farwell, C., and Fudge, D., 1997. Archival tagging of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus thynnus). Marine Technology Society Journal. 32: 37-46.
Fudge, D.S., Stevens, E.D., and Ballantyne, J.S., 1997. Enzyme adaptation along a heterothermic tissue: the visceral heat exchangers of the bluefin tuna. Am. J. Physiol. 272, R1834-R1840.
Fudge, D.S., and Stevens, E.D., 1996. The visceral retia mirabilia of tuna and sharks: an annotated translation and discussion of the Eschricht and Müller 1835 paper and related papers. Guelph Ichthyology Reviews, No. 4, 92 pp.

For more information on hagfish and hagfish slime...

Crystall, B., 2000. Monstrous mucus. New Scientist 2229: 38-41 (features our research on hagfish slime).
Downing, S.W., R.H. Spitzer, W.L. Salo, J.S. Downing, L.J. Saidel, and E.A. Koch. 1981. Threads in the hagfish slime gland thread cells: organization, biochemical features, and length. Science 212: 326-327.
Fernholm, B. 1981. Thread cells from the slime gland of the hagfish (Myxinidae). Acta Zoologica 62: 137-145.
Ferry, J.D. 1941. A fibrous protein from the slime of the hagfish. J. Biol. Chem. 138: 263-268.
Jensen, D. The Hagfish, 1966. Scientific American, 214: 2, 82–90.
Jørgensen, J.M., J. P. Lomholt, R. E. Weber and H. Malte (eds.) 1998. The Biology of Hagfishes, Chapman & Hall.
Koch, E.A., R.H. Spitzer, R.B. Pithawalla, and S.W. Downing. 1991. Keratin-like components of gland thread cells modulate the properties of mucus from the hagfish (Eptatretus stouti). Cell Tissue Res. 264:79-86.
Koch, E.A., R.H. Spitzer, R.B. Pithawalla, F.A. Castillos III, and D.A. Parry. 1995. Hagfish biopolymer: a type I/type II homologue of epidermal keratin intermediate filaments. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 17:283-292.
Martini, F., 1998. Secrets of the slime hag. Scientific American, October 1998, 70-75.
Newby, W.W. 1946. The slime glands and thread cells of the hagfish, Polistrotrema stouti. J. Morph. 78: 397-409.