Hydrophobins
Mushroom umbrellas
Hydrophobins originally come from a fungus called Aspergillus nidulans. These
proteins on the fruiting body are what make drops of water roll off the fungal
surface. Hydrophobins have potential for use in many technical applications
because they change surface properties. Water doesn't run down glass that's
coated with hydrophobins; it rolls off – like raindrops on a lotus blossom.
The proteins also make it easier to mix oil and water. Biotechnologists isolated the genes needed for production of H Star proteins from the class
of hydrophobins and engineered
E.coli intestinal bacteria to produce
the proteins - making BASF the first company to produce hydrophobins on an
industrial scale.
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