Ticks adhere firmly to their host by secreting a protein-rich saliva that eventually forms a solid bioadhesive, but the mechanism underlying this phase transition is not understood. Now it has been shown that a disordered glycine-rich protein present in tick saliva undergoes liquid–liquid phase separation, followed by a liquid-to-gel transition, and exhibits adhesive properties.
- Ketan A. Ganar
- Manali Nandy
- Siddharth Deshpande
