Temperature dependence of mucin adsorption

The kinetics of adsorption and desorption on a silica-like surface of the large glycoprotein mucin have been measured across a range of temperatures from 25 to 60 degrees C. The area occupied per molecule diminishes with increasing temperature both in the bulk and adsorbed states, implying that the glycoprotein belongs to the "natively open" conformational class. Due to the conformational rearrangement, the specific interaction energy governing desorption greatly increases with temperature, resulting in an impressively regulated temperature-invariant dynamic surface coating.