Team:StanfordBrownSpelman/Material Waterproofing

First approach: Wax ester biosynthesis

The UAV being constructed would benefit from the potential to demonstrate waterproof capabilities. As such, various waterproofing mechanisms are under investigation for application to the vehicle. One of the mechanisms involves the biological manipulation of the protein involved in the secretion of lipophilic wax esters from the avian uropygial gland. Previous research has revealed that the chemical composition of the uropygial gland secretion is primarily composed of unique variations of methylhexanoic acid and fatty alcohols that react to produce wax esters. The enzymes responsible for catalyzing the esterification reaction are wax synthases. Various wax synthases have been identified across many eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms including plants, mammals, protozoa, and bacteria. However, the current focus is bacterial and protozoan production of wax esters. Bacterial production of wax esters is most commonly associated with the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus bacterium and isoprenoid wax ester production in Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus. Furthermore, the protozoan Euglena glacilis synthesizes wax esters. Therefore, an interdisciplinary approach involving molecular biology and bioinformatics will be utilized to investigate the biosynthetic production of wax esters for application in the production of the UAV.

Second approach: Paper wasp protein

Paper wasps of the genus Polistes are well known for their ability to construct nests out of transformed plant materials with paper-like properties. The most significant property of the wasp-produced paper is that it is hydrophobic and therefore waterproof. Research has identified that a protein found in the salivary glands of paper wasps is responsible for coating, strengthening, and thus waterproofing the cellulose found in plants. We aim to collect Polistes dominula, an invasive European species of paper wasp, and sequence the proteins found in their saliva using a modified peptide mass fingerprinting approach. Our ultimate goal is to transform the gene coding for the wasp waterproofing protein into Saccharomyces cerevisiae so that we can produce an inherently biomimetic solution to shielding lightweight BC or BCOAc films from water in the environment. This project is particularly exciting because of its potential for discovery; never before have the proteins in wasp saliva been identified or applied as functional biomaterials.