151
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Wang J, Yuan W, Qin R, Fan T, Fan JS, Huang W, Yang D, Lin Z. Self-assembly of tubuliform spidroins driven by hydrophobic interactions among terminal domains. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 166:1141-1148. [PMID: 33157141 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.10.269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Spider silk has remarkable physical and biocompatible properties. Investigation of structure-function relationship and self-assembly process of spidroins is necessary for uncovering the mechanism of silk fiber formation. Nevertheless, how the terminal domains initiate self-assembly of soluble tubuliform spidroins to form solid eggcase silk is still not fully understood. Here we investigate the roles of both terminal domains of tubuliform spidroin 1 (TuSp1) in the silk fiber formation. We found that interactions among the terminal domains drive rapid TuSp1 self-assembly and fiber formation, which is insensitive to pH changes from 6.0 to 7.0. These interactions also contribute to the spidroin chain alignment in fiber formation upon shear-force exposure. Structural analysis and site-directed mutagenesis identified eight critical surface-exposed residues involved in hydrophobic interactions among terminal domains. Spidroins with single-point mutations of these residues fail to form intermediate micelle-like structures. The structural docking model indicates that multiple terminal domains of TuSp1 may interact with each other based on hydrophobic interactions and surface complementarity, which may lead to forming the surface of the micelle-like structure. Our results provide new insights into the structural mechanism of eggcase silk formation and the basis for designing and producing novel biomaterials derived from spider eggcase silk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingxia Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Wensu Yuan
- School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Ruiqi Qin
- School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Tiantian Fan
- School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
| | - Jing-Song Fan
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore
| | - Weidong Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, 750004, PR China
| | - Daiwen Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore
| | - Zhi Lin
- School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Function and Application of Biological Macromolecular Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China.
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152
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Silk fibroin as a natural polymeric based bio-material for tissue engineering and drug delivery systems-A review. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 163:2145-2161. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.09.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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153
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Koeppel A, Laity PR, Holland C. The influence of metal ions on native silk rheology. Acta Biomater 2020; 117:204-212. [PMID: 33007482 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.09.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Whilst flow is the basis for silk fibre formation, subtle changes in a silk feedstocks' chemical environment may serve to increase both energetic efficiency and control hierarchical structure development during spinning. Despite the role of pH being largely understood, the influence of metal ions is not, only being inferred by correlative work and observations. Through a combination of rheology and microscopy, we provide a causative study of how the most abundant metal ions in the silk feedstock, Ca2+ and K+, affect its flow properties and structure. Our results show that Ca2+ ions increase viscosity and prevent molecular alignment and aggregation, providing ideal storage conditions for unspun silk. In contrast, the addition of K+ ions promotes molecular alignment and aggregation and therefore seems to transfer the silk feedstock into a spinning state which confirms recent 'sticky reptation' modelling hypotheses. Additionally, we characterised the influence of the ubiquitous kosmotropic agent Li+, used to prepare regenerated silk solutions, and find that it promotes molecular alignment and prevents aggregation which may permit a range of interesting artificial silk processing techniques to be developed. In summary, our results provide a clearer picture of how metal ions co-ordinate, control and thus contribute towards silk protein self-assembly which in turn can inspire structuring approaches in other biopolymer systems.
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154
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Malay AD, Suzuki T, Katashima T, Kono N, Arakawa K, Numata K. Spider silk self-assembly via modular liquid-liquid phase separation and nanofibrillation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/45/eabb6030. [PMID: 33148640 PMCID: PMC7673682 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb6030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Spider silk fiber rapidly assembles from spidroin protein in soluble state via an incompletely understood mechanism. Here, we present an integrated model for silk formation that incorporates the effects of multiple chemical and physical gradients on the different spidroin functional domains. Central to the process is liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) that occurs in response to multivalent anions such as phosphate, mediated by the carboxyl-terminal and repetitive domains. Acidification coupled with LLPS triggers the swift self-assembly of nanofibril networks, facilitated by dimerization of the amino-terminal domain, and leads to a liquid-to-solid phase transition. Mechanical stress applied to the fibril structures yields macroscopic fibers with hierarchical organization and enriched for β-sheet conformations. Studies using native silk gland material corroborate our findings on spidroin phase separation. Our results suggest an intriguing parallel between silk assembly and other LLPS-mediated mechanisms, such as found in intracellular membraneless organelles and protein aggregation disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali D Malay
- Biomacromolecules Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
| | - Takehiro Suzuki
- Biomolecular Characterization Unit, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Takuya Katashima
- Biomacromolecules Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Nobuaki Kono
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, 246-2 Mizukami, Kakuganji, Tsuruoka, Yamagata 997-0052, Japan
| | - Kazuharu Arakawa
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, 246-2 Mizukami, Kakuganji, Tsuruoka, Yamagata 997-0052, Japan
| | - Keiji Numata
- Biomacromolecules Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
- Department of Material Chemistry, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
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155
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Guo K, Zhang X, Dong Z, Ni Y, Chen Y, Zhang Y, Li H, Xia Q, Zhao P. Ultrafine and High-Strength Silk Fibers Secreted by Bimolter Silkworms. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2537. [PMID: 33143336 PMCID: PMC7693878 DOI: 10.3390/polym12112537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Ultrafine fibers are widely employed because of their lightness, softness, and warmth retention. Although silkworm silk is one of the most applied natural silks, it is coarse and difficult to transform into ultrafine fibers. Thus, to obtain ultrafine high-performance silk fibers, we employed anti-juvenile hormones in this study to induce bimolter silkworms. We found that the bimolter cocoons were composed of densely packed thin fibers and small apertures, wherein the silk diameter was 54.9% less than that of trimolter silk. Further analysis revealed that the bimolter silk was cleaner and lighter than the control silk. In addition, it was stronger (739 MPa versus 497 MPa) and more stiffness (i.e., a higher Young's modulus) than the trimolter silk. FTIR and X-ray diffraction results revealed that the excellent mechanical properties of bimolter silk can be attributed to the higher β-sheet content and crystallinity. Chitin staining of the anterior silk gland suggested that the lumen is narrower in bimolters, which may lead to the formation of greater numbers of β-sheet structures in the silk. Therefore, this study reveals the relationship between the structures and mechanical properties of bimolter silk and provides a valuable reference for producing high-strength and ultrafine silk fibers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiyu Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (K.G.); (X.Z.); (Y.N.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
- Biological Science Research Center Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (Z.D.); (Y.Z.); (Q.X.)
- Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Xiaolu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (K.G.); (X.Z.); (Y.N.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
- Biological Science Research Center Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (Z.D.); (Y.Z.); (Q.X.)
- Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Zhaoming Dong
- Biological Science Research Center Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (Z.D.); (Y.Z.); (Q.X.)
- Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Yuhui Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (K.G.); (X.Z.); (Y.N.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
| | - Yuqing Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (K.G.); (X.Z.); (Y.N.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
| | - Yan Zhang
- Biological Science Research Center Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (Z.D.); (Y.Z.); (Q.X.)
- Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Haoyun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (K.G.); (X.Z.); (Y.N.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
- Biological Science Research Center Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (Z.D.); (Y.Z.); (Q.X.)
- Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Qingyou Xia
- Biological Science Research Center Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (Z.D.); (Y.Z.); (Q.X.)
- Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Ping Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (K.G.); (X.Z.); (Y.N.); (Y.C.); (H.L.)
- Biological Science Research Center Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (Z.D.); (Y.Z.); (Q.X.)
- Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Chongqing 400716, China
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156
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Moon MJ, Tillinghast EK. Molt-related changes in the major ampullate silk gland of the barn spider Araneus cavaticus. Anim Cells Syst (Seoul) 2020; 24:299-310. [PMID: 33209204 PMCID: PMC7646564 DOI: 10.1080/19768354.2020.1837950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Spiders molt periodically before reaching full maturity, but several spiders continue to molt after sexual maturity. This post-maturity molting (PMM) behavior has been observed in the barn spider Araneus cavaticus (Araneae: Araneidae) among the orb-web spiders. In this study, we investigated molt-related changes in the ampulla and tail regions of the major ampullate gland during the PMM sequences (intermolt, pre-molt, ecdysis, and post-molt). The results showed that all gland units consist of a monolayer of epithelial cells surrounding a large central lumen, and two types of secretory granules (Type-M and Type-S). During the molting period, most cells showed fine structural modification in their organelles, and conspicuous tissue swelling was detected at the glandular epithelium. Following the molting cycle, the amount of Type-M granules continues to increase in the cell with a corresponding swelling, but Type-S granules gradually disappeared during the process of ecdysis. This suggests that the molt-related changes in spider silk production originates from the periodic production of Type-S secretory granules in the ampulla region. As Type-M granules flow toward the funnel, it is coated with viscous liquid secretion of Type-S granules in order to produce dragline silk fibers. We provide fine structural evidence for Type-S granules of hexagonal crystalline substructures representing glycoprotein substances to maintain high level of water content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myung-Jin Moon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dankook University, Cheonan, Korea
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157
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Shen Y, Ruggeri FS, Vigolo D, Kamada A, Qamar S, Levin A, Iserman C, Alberti S, George-Hyslop PS, Knowles TPJ. Biomolecular condensates undergo a generic shear-mediated liquid-to-solid transition. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2020; 15:841-847. [PMID: 32661370 PMCID: PMC7116851 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-020-0731-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Membrane-less organelles resulting from liquid-liquid phase separation of biopolymers into intracellular condensates control essential biological functions, including messenger RNA processing, cell signalling and embryogenesis1-4. It has recently been discovered that several such protein condensates can undergo a further irreversible phase transition, forming solid nanoscale aggregates associated with neurodegenerative disease5-7. While the irreversible gelation of protein condensates is generally related to malfunction and disease, one case where the liquid-to-solid transition of protein condensates is functional, however, is that of silk spinning8,9. The formation of silk fibrils is largely driven by shear, yet it is not known what factors control the pathological gelation of functional condensates. Here we demonstrate that four proteins and one peptide system, with no function associated with fibre formation, have a strong propensity to undergo a liquid-to-solid transition when exposed to even low levels of mechanical shear once present in their liquid-liquid phase separated form. Using microfluidics to control the application of shear, we generated fibres from single-protein condensates and characterized their structural and material properties as a function of shear stress. Our results reveal generic backbone-backbone hydrogen bonding constraints as a determining factor in governing this transition. These observations suggest that shear can play an important role in the irreversible liquid-to-solid transition of protein condensates, shed light on the role of physical factors in driving this transition in protein aggregation-related diseases and open a new route towards artificial shear responsive biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Shen
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Simone Ruggeri
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Daniele Vigolo
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ayaka Kamada
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Seema Qamar
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Aviad Levin
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Christiane Iserman
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Simon Alberti
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Peter St George-Hyslop
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of Toronto and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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158
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Wen R, Wang K, Meng Q. Characterization of the second type of aciniform spidroin (AcSp2) provides new insight into design for spidroin-based biomaterials. Acta Biomater 2020; 115:210-219. [PMID: 32798722 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Spiders spin a range of silks from different glands for distinct functions, and each silk type exhibits distinct material properties. Silk extruded by the aciniform gland is used for prey wrapping and egg case construction and displays high toughness and extensibility. So far, only the aciniform spidroin 1 (AcSp1) gene which was firstly identified as a silk gene in aciniform gland has been obtained. Here we present the gene sequence for the second type of full-length aciniform silk protein, AcSp2. Analysis of the AcSp2 primary sequence reveals relatively conserved terminal regions and a distinct repetitive sequence relative to AcSp1. A fraction of the gene can be expressed in recombinant systems. Secondary structure analysis of the recombinant AcSp2 protein in solution reveals that the protein adopts mainly an α-helical conformation. Artificial spinning of recombinant AcSp2 demonstrates that the spidroins can be spun into fine fibers which display up to 142% extensibility. The silk fibers are dominated by β-sheet and β-turn secondary structures. Moreover, the mechanical data collected from these synthetic fibers revealed that the mechanical properties are partly correlated with the molecular weights. Overall, our studies enrich our knowledge of spidroin gene family members and provide a new insight into creation of high-performance silk fibers for next generation biomaterials. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: In this study, we presented the second type of aciniform silk protein (AcSp2) gene sequence of orb-weaving spider Araneus ventricosus, expanding the spider silk gene family members. The primary structure revealed the central repetitive sequence of the new spidroin gene is distinctly different from other AcSp1 genes. Characterization of the recombinant minispidroin fibers of AcSp2 revealed the mechanical properties are partly correlate with the molecular weights, and the spidroins can be spun into fine fibers which display up to 142% extensibility. Overall, our studies enrich our knowledge of spidroin gene family members and provide a new insight into creation of high-performance silk fibers for next generation biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Wen
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, 2999 North Renmin Road 201620, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Kangkang Wang
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, 2999 North Renmin Road 201620, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Qing Meng
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, 2999 North Renmin Road 201620, Shanghai 201620, China.
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159
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Novel Highly Soluble Chimeric Recombinant Spidroins with High Yield. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21186905. [PMID: 32962298 PMCID: PMC7554824 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21186905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Spider silk has been a hotspot in the study of biomaterials for more than two decades due to its outstanding mechanical properties. Given that spiders cannot be farmed, and their low silk productivity, many attempts have been made to produce recombinant spidroins as an alternative. Herein, we present novel chimeric recombinant spidroins composed of 1 to 4 repetitive units of aciniform spidroin (AcSp) flanked by the nonrepetitive N- and C-terminal domains of the minor ampullate spidroin (MiSp), all from Araneus ventricosus. The spidroins were expressed in the form of inclusion body in E. coli with high yield. Remarkably, the aqueous solubility of the four spidroins ranged from 13.4% to over 50% (m/v). The four spidroins could self-assemble into silk-like fibers by hand-drawing. The secondary structures of these proteins, determined by circular dichroism spectrum (CD) and Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), indicated a prominent transformation from α-helix to β-sheet after fiber formation. The mechanical properties of the hand-drawn fibers showed a positive correlation with the spidroin molecular weight. In summary, this study describes promising biomaterials for further study and wide application.
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160
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Yang W, Lv L, Li X, Han X, Li M, Li C. Quaternized Silk Nanofibrils for Electricity Generation from Moisture and Ion Rectification. ACS NANO 2020; 14:10600-10607. [PMID: 32806080 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c04686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Protein nanostructures in living organisms have attracted intense interests in biology and material science owing to their intriguing abilities to harness ion transportation for matter/signal transduction and bioelectricity generation. Silk nanofibrils, serving as the fundamental building blocks for silk, not only have the advantages of natural abundance, low cost, biocompatibility, sustainability, and degradability but also play a key role in mechanical toughness and biological functions of silk fibers. Herein, cationic silk nanofibrils (SilkNFs), with an ultrathin thickness of ∼4 nm and a high aspect ratio up to 500, were successfully exfoliated from natural cocoon fibers via quaternization followed by mechanical homogenization. Being positively charged in a wide pH range of 2-12, these cationic SilkNFs could combine with different types of negatively charged biological nanofibrils to produce asymmetric ionic membranes and aerogels that have the ability to tune ion translocation. The asymmetric ionic aerogels could create an electric potential as high as 120 mV in humid ambient air, whereas asymmetric ionic membranes could be used in ionic rectification with a rectification ratio of 5.2. Therefore, this green exfoliation of cationic SilkNFs may provide a biological platform of nanomaterials for applications as diverse as ion electronics, renewable energy, and sustainable nanotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqing Yang
- Group of Biomimetic Smart Materials, CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songling Road 189, Qingdao 266101, P.R. China
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University, 308 Ningxia Road, Qingdao, Shandong 266071, P.R. China
| | - Lili Lv
- Group of Biomimetic Smart Materials, CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songling Road 189, Qingdao 266101, P.R. China
- Center of Material and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Xiankai Li
- Group of Biomimetic Smart Materials, CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songling Road 189, Qingdao 266101, P.R. China
- Center of Material and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Xiao Han
- Group of Biomimetic Smart Materials, CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songling Road 189, Qingdao 266101, P.R. China
- Center of Material and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Mingjie Li
- Group of Biomimetic Smart Materials, CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songling Road 189, Qingdao 266101, P.R. China
- Center of Material and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
| | - Chaoxu Li
- Group of Biomimetic Smart Materials, CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-based Materials, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Songling Road 189, Qingdao 266101, P.R. China
- Center of Material and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
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161
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Gu Y, Yu L, Mou J, Wu D, Zhou P, Xu M. Mechanical properties and application analysis of spider silk bionic material. E-POLYMERS 2020. [DOI: 10.1515/epoly-2020-0049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
AbstractSpider silk is a kind of natural biomaterial with superior performance. Its mechanical properties and biocompatibility are incomparable with those of other natural and artificial materials. This article first summarizes the structure and the characteristics of natural spider silk. It shows the great research value of spider silk and spider silk bionic materials. Then, the development status of spider silk bionic materials is reviewed from the perspectives of material mechanical properties and application. The part of the material characteristics mainly describes the biocomposites based on spider silk proteins and spider silk fibers, nanomaterials and man-made fiber materials based on spider silk and spider-web structures. The principles and characteristics of new materials and their potential applications in the future are described. In addition, from the perspective of practical applications, the latest application of spider silk biomimetic materials in the fields of medicine, textiles, and sensors is reviewed, and the inspiration, feasibility, and performance of finished products are briefly introduced and analyzed. Finally, the research directions and future development trends of spider silk biomimetic materials are prospected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunqing Gu
- College of Metrology & Measurement Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Lingzhi Yu
- College of Metrology & Measurement Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Jiegang Mou
- College of Metrology & Measurement Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Denghao Wu
- College of Metrology & Measurement Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Peijian Zhou
- College of Metrology & Measurement Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
| | - Maosen Xu
- College of Metrology & Measurement Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China
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162
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Wang K, Wen R, Meng Q. Properties of two spliceoforms of major ampullate spidroin 1 reveal unique functions of N-linker region. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 157:67-74. [PMID: 32339592 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.04.143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 04/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Spiders produce diverse silk fibers with distinct properties for daily survival. Among these silk fibers, dragline silk spun by major ampullate gland is used for bridgelines and web radii, exhibiting both outstanding tensile strength and extensibility. Although more and more full-length major ampullate spidroin gene sequences have been reported, the research regarding alternative splicing events of spidroins are rare. Here we describe two spliceoforms of major ampullate spidroin 1 (MaSp1) from Araneus ventricosus, and both of them are lack of central repetitive region. The minor isoform only has terminal regions. For the major isoform, however, the N-linker and terminal regions are all retained. Furthermore, we investigated the functions of N-linker structure of A. ventricosus MaSp1, based on the properties of the two spliceoforms. The dimer level of major isoform (MaSp1-2) is higher than that of the minor isoform (MaSp1-1). Moreover, the MaSp1-2 protein display higher melting temperature (Tm) than MaSp1-1, and the MaSp1-2 fibers exhibit higher tensile strength than MaSp1-1 fibers. These studies demonstrate that the N-linker region promotes the formation of intermolecular disulphide bond, suggesting a strategy to enhance the thermostabilization and mechanical properties of spidroins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kangkang Wang
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Wen
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Meng
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
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163
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Fine structure of the silk spinning system in the caddisworm, Hydatophylax nigrovittatus (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae). Appl Microsc 2020; 50:16. [PMID: 33580455 PMCID: PMC7818296 DOI: 10.1186/s42649-020-00036-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Silk is produced by a variety of insects, but only silk made by terrestrial arthropods has been examined in detail. To fill the gap, this study was designed to understand the silk spinning system of aquatic insect. The larvae of caddis flies, Hydatophylax nigrovittatus produce silk through a pair of labial silk glands and use raw silk to protect themselves in the aquatic environment. The result of this study clearly shows that although silk fibers are made under aquatic conditions, the cellular silk production system is quite similar to that of terrestrial arthropods. Typically, silk production in caddisworm has been achieved by two independent processes in the silk glands. This includes the synthesis of silk fibroin in the posterior region, the production of adhesive glycoproteins in the anterior region, which are ultimately accumulated into functional silk dope and converted to a silk ribbon coated with gluey substances. At the cellular level, each substance of fibroin and glycoprotein is specifically synthesized at different locations, and then transported from the rough ER to the Golgi apparatus as transport vesicles, respectively. Thereafter, the secretory vesicles gradually increase in size by vesicular fusion, forming larger secretory granules containing specific proteins. It was found that these granules eventually migrate to the apical membrane and are exocytosed into the lumen by a mechanism of merocrine secretion.
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164
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Application of the Spider Silk Standardization Initiative (S 3I) methodology to the characterization of major ampullate gland silk fibers spun by spiders from Pantanos de Villa wetlands (Lima, Peru). J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2020; 111:104023. [PMID: 32818773 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.104023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Spider silk is a natural material with unique properties and a great potential for engineering and biomedical applications. In spite of its simple composition and highly conserved and stereotypical production, spider silks show a wide range of variability in their mechanical properties which, for long, have defied their classification and standardization. Here we propose to launch the Spider Silk Standardization Initiative (S3I), a methodology based on the definition of the α* parameter, in an attempt to define a systematic procedure to classify the tensile properties exhibited by major ampullate gland silk (MAS) spun by Entelegynae spiders. The α* parameter is calculated from the comparison of the true stress-true strain curve of any MAS fiber after being subjected to maximum supercontraction, with the true stress-true strain curve of the species Argiope aurantia, which is set as a reference curve. This work presents the details of the S3I methodology and, as an example, shows its application to an assemblage of Entelegynae spiders from different families collected at the Pantanos de Villa wetlands (Lima, Peru). The systematic and objective classification of the tensile properties of MAS fibers allowed by the S3I will offer insights into key aspects of the biological evolution of the material, and address questions such as how history and adaptation contributed to shape those properties. In addition, it will surely have far reaching consequences in fields such as Materials Science, and Molecular and Evolutionary Biology, by organizing the range of tensile properties exhibited by spider silk fibers.
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165
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Mu X, Fitzpatrick V, Kaplan DL. From Silk Spinning to 3D Printing: Polymer Manufacturing using Directed Hierarchical Molecular Assembly. Adv Healthc Mater 2020; 9:e1901552. [PMID: 32109007 PMCID: PMC7415583 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201901552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Silk spinning offers an evolution-based manufacturing strategy for industrial polymer manufacturing, yet remains largely inaccessible as the manufacturing mechanisms in biological and synthetic systems, especially at the molecular level, are fundamentally different. The appealing characteristics of silk spinning include the sustainable sourcing of the protein material, the all-aqueous processing into fibers, and the unique material properties of silks in various formats. Substantial progress has been made to mimic silk spinning in artificial manufacturing processes, despite the gap between natural and artificial systems. This report emphasizes the universal spinning conditions utilized by both spiders and silkworms to generate silk fibers in nature, as a scientific and technical framework for directing molecular assembly into high-performance structures. The preparation of regenerated silk feedstocks and mimicking native spinning conditions in artificial manufacturing are discussed, as is progress and challenges in fiber spinning and 3D printing of silk-composites. Silk spinning is a biomimetic model for advanced and sustainable artificial polymer manufacturing, offering benefits in biomedical applications for tissue scaffolds and implantable devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Mu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Vincent Fitzpatrick
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - David L Kaplan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
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166
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Liu K, Fan Z, Wang T, Gao Z, Zhong J, Xiang G, Lei W, Shi Z, Feng Y, Mao Y, Tao TH. All-Aqueous-Processed Injectable In Situ Forming Macroporous Silk Gel Scaffolds for Minimally Invasive Intracranial and Osteological Therapies. Adv Healthc Mater 2020; 9:e2000879. [PMID: 32548917 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202000879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Hydrogels are widely utilized in regenerative medicine for drug delivery and tissue repair due to their superior biocompatibility and high similarity to the extracellular matrix. For minimally invasive therapies, in situ forming gel scaffolds are desirable, but technical challenges remain to be overcome to achieve the balance between tissue-like strength and cell-sized porosity, especially for intracranial and osteological therapies. Here, a new method-inspired by the liquid crystalline spinning process in natural silk fibers-is reported for preparing injectable silk gel scaffolds with favorable preclinical efficacy and unique characteristics including 1) in situ gelling for minimally invasive surgeries, 2) controllable porosity for efficient cellular infiltration and desirable degradation, 3) resilient and tunable mechanical properties that are compatible with the modulus regime of native soft tissues, and 4) all-aqueous processing that avoids toxic solvents and enables facile loading of bioactive agents. Moreover, hierarchically structured heterogeneous silk gel scaffolds with variable porosity and bioactive agent gradients within 3D matrices can be achieved for sustained drug release and guided tissue regeneration. Preclinical efficacy studies in rodent models show efficient bacterium and glioma inhibition and positive effects on bone regeneration and vascularization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keyin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer TechnologyShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 200050 China
| | - Zhen Fan
- Department of NeurosurgeryHuashan Hospital of Fudan University Shanghai 200040 China
| | - Tianji Wang
- Department of OrthopedicsXijing HospitalThe Fourth Military Medical University Xi'an 710032 China
| | - Zhiheng Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer TechnologyShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 200050 China
| | - Junjie Zhong
- Department of NeurosurgeryHuashan Hospital of Fudan University Shanghai 200040 China
| | - Geng Xiang
- Department of OrthopedicsXijing HospitalThe Fourth Military Medical University Xi'an 710032 China
| | - Wei Lei
- Department of OrthopedicsXijing HospitalThe Fourth Military Medical University Xi'an 710032 China
| | - Zhifeng Shi
- Department of NeurosurgeryHuashan Hospital of Fudan University Shanghai 200040 China
| | - Yafei Feng
- Department of OrthopedicsXijing HospitalThe Fourth Military Medical University Xi'an 710032 China
| | - Ying Mao
- Department of NeurosurgeryHuashan Hospital of Fudan University Shanghai 200040 China
| | - Tiger H. Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer TechnologyShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 200050 China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
- School of Physical Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech University Shanghai 200031 China
- Institute of Brain‐Intelligence TechnologyZhangjiang Laboratory Shanghai 200031 China
- Shanghai Research Center for Brain Science and Brain‐Inspired Intelligence Shanghai 200031 China
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167
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Non-covalent protein-based adhesives for transparent substrates-bovine serum albumin vs. recombinant spider silk. Mater Today Bio 2020; 7:100068. [PMID: 32695986 PMCID: PMC7366031 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2020.100068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein-based adhesives could have several advantages over petroleum-derived alternatives, including substantially lower toxicity, smaller environmental footprint, and renewable sourcing. Here, we report that non-covalently crosslinked bovine serum albumin and recombinant spider silk proteins have high adhesive strength on glass (8.53 and 6.28 MPa, respectively) and other transparent substrates. Moreover, the adhesives have high visible transparency and showed no apparent degradation over a period of several months. The mechanism of adhesion was investigated and primarily attributed to dehydration-induced reorganization of protein secondary structure, resulting in the supramolecular association of β-sheets into a densely hydrogen-bonded network.
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168
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Greco G, Francis J, Arndt T, Schmuck B, G. Bäcklund F, Barth A, Johansson J, M. Pugno N, Rising A. Properties of Biomimetic Artificial Spider Silk Fibers Tuned by PostSpin Bath Incubation. Molecules 2020; 25:E3248. [PMID: 32708777 PMCID: PMC7397010 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25143248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficient production of artificial spider silk fibers with properties that match its natural counterpart has still not been achieved. Recently, a biomimetic process for spinning recombinant spider silk proteins (spidroins) was presented, in which important molecular mechanisms involved in native spider silk spinning were recapitulated. However, drawbacks of these fibers included inferior mechanical properties and problems with low resistance to aqueous environments. In this work, we show that ≥5 h incubation of the fibers, in a collection bath of 500 mM NaAc and 200 mM NaCl, at pH 5 results in fibers that do not dissolve in water or phosphate buffered saline, which implies that the fibers can be used for applications that involve wet/humid conditions. Furthermore, incubation in the collection bath improved the strain at break and was associated with increased β-sheet content, but did not affect the fiber morphology. In summary, we present a simple way to improve artificial spider silk fiber strain at break and resistance to aqueous solvents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Greco
- Laboratory of Bio-Inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta, Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy;
| | - Juanita Francis
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
| | - Tina Arndt
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
| | - Benjamin Schmuck
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
| | - Fredrik G. Bäcklund
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
| | - Andreas Barth
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden;
| | - Jan Johansson
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
| | - Nicola M. Pugno
- Laboratory of Bio-Inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta, Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano 77, 38123 Trento, Italy;
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Anna Rising
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden; (J.F.); (T.A.); (B.S.); (F.G.B.); (J.J.)
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
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169
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Shanafelt M, Rabara T, MacArt D, Williams C, Hekman R, Joo H, Tsai J, Vierra C. Structural Characterization of Black Widow Spider Dragline Silk Proteins CRP1 and CRP4. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25143212. [PMID: 32674428 PMCID: PMC7397007 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25143212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Spider dragline silk represents a biomaterial with outstanding mechanical properties, possessing high-tensile strength and toughness. In black widows at least eight different proteins have been identified as constituents of dragline silk. These represent major ampullate spidroins MaSp1, MaSp2, MaSp’, and several low-molecular weight cysteine-rich protein (CRP) family members, including CRP1, CRP2, and CRP4. Molecular modeling predicts that CRPs contain a cystine slipknot motif, but experimental evidence to support this assertion remains to be reported. To advance scientific knowledge regarding CRP function, we recombinantly expressed and purified CRP1 and CRP4 from bacteria and investigated their secondary structure using circular dichroism (CD) under different chemical and physical conditions. We demonstrate by far-UV CD spectroscopy that these proteins contain similar secondary structure, having substantial amounts of random coil conformation, followed by lower levels of beta sheet, alpha helical and beta turn structures. CRPs are thermally and pH stable; however, treatment with reagents that disrupt disulfide bonds impact their structural conformations. Cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) data also support computational models of CRP1. Taken together, the chemical and thermal stability of CRPs, the cross-linking data, coupled with the structural sensitivity to reducing agents, are experimentally consistent with the supposition CRPs are cystine slipknot proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikayla Shanafelt
- Departments of Chemistry and Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA; (M.S.); (T.R.); (D.M.); (H.J.); (J.T.)
| | - Taylor Rabara
- Departments of Chemistry and Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA; (M.S.); (T.R.); (D.M.); (H.J.); (J.T.)
| | - Danielle MacArt
- Departments of Chemistry and Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA; (M.S.); (T.R.); (D.M.); (H.J.); (J.T.)
| | - Caroline Williams
- Institute for Biomedical Science Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, Georgia State University, Decatur, GA 30302, USA;
| | - Ryan Hekman
- Center for Network Systems Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA;
| | - Hyun Joo
- Departments of Chemistry and Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA; (M.S.); (T.R.); (D.M.); (H.J.); (J.T.)
| | - Jerry Tsai
- Departments of Chemistry and Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA; (M.S.); (T.R.); (D.M.); (H.J.); (J.T.)
| | - Craig Vierra
- Departments of Chemistry and Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA; (M.S.); (T.R.); (D.M.); (H.J.); (J.T.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: 209-946-3024
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170
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A marine photosynthetic microbial cell factory as a platform for spider silk production. Commun Biol 2020; 3:357. [PMID: 32641733 PMCID: PMC7343832 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-1099-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria, purple bacteria and microalgae have attracted great interest as promising platforms for economical and sustainable production of bioenergy, biochemicals, and biopolymers. Here, we demonstrate heterotrophic production of spider dragline silk proteins, major ampullate spidroins (MaSp), in a marine photosynthetic purple bacterium, Rhodovulum sulfidophilum, under both photoheterotrophic and photoautotrophic growth conditions. Spider silk is a biodegradable and biocompatible material with remarkable mechanical properties. R. sulfidophilum grow by utilizing abundant and renewable nonfood bioresources such as seawater, sunlight, and gaseous CO2 and N2, thus making this photosynthetic microbial cell factory a promising green and sustainable production platform for proteins and biopolymers, including spider silks. Foong et al. demonstrate production of spider dragline silk proteins in Rhodovulum sulfidophilum, a marine photosynthetic purple bacterium. This platform generates promise for the sustainable production of valuable biocompounds in photosynthetic organisms.
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171
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Zhu H, Rising A, Johansson J, Zhang X, Lin Y, Zhang L, Yi T, Mi J, Meng Q. Tensile properties of synthetic pyriform spider silk fibers depend on the number of repetitive units as well as the presence of N- and C-terminal domains. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 154:765-772. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.03.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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172
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Finnigan W, Roberts AD, Ligorio C, Scrutton NS, Breitling R, Blaker JJ, Takano E. The effect of terminal globular domains on the response of recombinant mini-spidroins to fiber spinning triggers. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10671. [PMID: 32606438 PMCID: PMC7327021 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67703-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Spider silk spidroins consist of long repetitive protein strands, flanked by globular terminal domains. The globular domains are often omitted in recombinant spidroins, but are thought to be essential for the spiders' natural spinning process. Mimicking this spinning process could be an essential step towards producing strong synthetic spider silk. Here we describe the production of a range of mini-spidroins with both terminal domains, and characterize their response to a number of biomimetic spinning triggers. Our results suggest that mini-spidroins which are able to form protein micelles due to the addition of both terminal domains exhibit shear-thinning, a property which native spidroins also show. Furthermore, our data also suggest that a pH drop alone is insufficient to trigger assembly in a wet-spinning process, and must be combined with salting-out for effective fiber formation. With these insights, we applied these assembly triggers for relatively biomimetic wet spinning. This work adds to the foundation of literature for developing improved biomimetic spinning techniques, which ought to result in synthetic silk that more closely approximates the unique properties of native spider silk.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Finnigan
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK
| | - Aled D Roberts
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK
| | - Cosimo Ligorio
- Department of Materials, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK
| | - Nigel S Scrutton
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK
| | - Rainer Breitling
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK
| | - Jonny J Blaker
- Bio-Active Materials Group, Department of Materials, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Eriko Takano
- Department of Chemistry, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M1 7DN, UK.
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173
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Kiseleva AP, Krivoshapkin PV, Krivoshapkina EF. Recent Advances in Development of Functional Spider Silk-Based Hybrid Materials. Front Chem 2020; 8:554. [PMID: 32695749 PMCID: PMC7338834 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.00554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Silkworm silk is mainly known as a luxurious textile. Spider silk is an alternative to silkworm silk fibers and has much more outstanding properties. Silk diversity ensures variation in its application in nature and industry. This review aims to provide a critical summary of up-to-date fabrication methods of spider silk-based organic-inorganic hybrid materials. This paper focuses on the relationship between the molecular structure of spider silk and its mechanical properties. Such knowledge is essential for understanding the innate properties of spider silk as it provides insight into the sophisticated assembly processes of silk proteins into the distinct polymers as a basis for novel products. In this context, we describe the development of spider silk-based hybrids using both natural and bioengineered spider silk proteins blended with inorganic nanoparticles. The following topics are also covered: the diversity of spider silk, its composition and architecture, the differences between silkworm silk and spider silk, and the biosynthesis of natural silk. Referencing biochemical data and processes, this paper outlines the existing challenges and future outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elena F. Krivoshapkina
- Laboratory of Solution Chemistry of Advanced Materials and Technologies, ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia
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174
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Greco G, Pugno NM. Mechanical Properties and Weibull Scaling Laws of Unknown Spider Silks. Molecules 2020; 25:E2938. [PMID: 32604727 PMCID: PMC7355793 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25122938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Spider silks present extraordinary mechanical properties, which have attracted the attention of material scientists in recent decades. In particular, the strength and the toughness of these protein-based materials outperform the ones of many man-made fibers. Unfortunately, despite the huge interest, there is an absence of statistical investigation on the mechanical properties of spider silks and their related size effects due to the length of the fibers. Moreover, several spider silks have never been mechanically tested. Accordingly, in this work, we measured the mechanical properties and computed the Weibull parameters for different spider silks, some of them unknown in the literature. We also measured the mechanical properties at different strain rates for the dragline of the species Cupiennius salei. For the same species, we measured the strength and Weibull parameters at different fiber lengths. In this way, we obtained the spider silk scaling laws directly and according to Weibull's prediction. Both length and strain rates affect the mechanical properties of spider silk, as rationalized by Weibull's statistics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Greco
- Laboratory of Bio-inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano, 77, 38123 Trento, Italy;
| | - Nicola M. Pugno
- Laboratory of Bio-inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, Via Mesiano, 77, 38123 Trento, Italy;
- Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Rd, London E1 4NS, UK
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175
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Rizzo G, Lo Presti M, Giannini C, Sibillano T, Milella A, Matzeu G, Musio R, Omenetto FG, Farinola GM. Silk Fibroin Processing from CeCl
3
Aqueous Solution: Fibers Regeneration and Doping with Ce(III). MACROMOL CHEM PHYS 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/macp.202000066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Rizzo
- Dipartimento di ChimicaUniversità degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro” via Orabona 4 Bari 70126 Italy
| | - Marco Lo Presti
- Dipartimento di ChimicaUniversità degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro” via Orabona 4 Bari 70126 Italy
| | - Cinzia Giannini
- CNR IC–Institute of Crystallography via Amendola 122/O Bari 70126 Italy
| | - Teresa Sibillano
- CNR IC–Institute of Crystallography via Amendola 122/O Bari 70126 Italy
| | - Antonella Milella
- Dipartimento di ChimicaUniversità degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro” via Orabona 4 Bari 70126 Italy
| | - Giusy Matzeu
- Silklab, Department of Biomedical EngineeringTufts University 4 Colby Street Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Roberta Musio
- Dipartimento di ChimicaUniversità degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro” via Orabona 4 Bari 70126 Italy
| | - Fiorenzo G. Omenetto
- Silklab, Department of Biomedical EngineeringTufts University 4 Colby Street Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Gianluca M. Farinola
- Dipartimento di ChimicaUniversità degli Studi di Bari “Aldo Moro” via Orabona 4 Bari 70126 Italy
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176
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On the Secondary Structure of Silk Fibroin Nanoparticles Obtained Using Ionic Liquids: An Infrared Spectroscopy Study. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:polym12061294. [PMID: 32516911 PMCID: PMC7361871 DOI: 10.3390/polym12061294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Silk fibroin from Bombyx mori caterpillar is an outstanding biocompatible polymer for the production of biomaterials. Its impressive combination of strength, flexibility, and degradability are related to the protein’s secondary structure, which may be altered during the manufacture of the biomaterial. The present study looks at the silk fibroin secondary structure during nanoparticle production using ionic liquids and high-power ultrasound using novel infrared spectroscopic approaches. The infrared spectrum of silk fibroin fibers shows that they are composed of 58% β-sheet, 9% turns, and 33% irregular and/or turn-like structures. When fibroin was dissolved in ionic liquids, its amide I band resembled that of soluble silk and no β-sheet absorption was detected. Silk fibroin nanoparticles regenerated from the ionic liquid solution exhibited an amide I band that resembled that of the silk fibers but had a reduced β-sheet content and a corresponding higher content of turns, suggesting an incomplete turn-to-sheet transition during the regeneration process. Both the analysis of the experimental infrared spectrum and spectrum calculations suggest a particular type of β-sheet structure that was involved in this deficiency, whereas the two other types of β-sheet structure found in silk fibroin fibers were readily formed.
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177
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Leem JW, Fraser MJ, Kim YL. Transgenic and Diet-Enhanced Silk Production for Reinforced Biomaterials: A Metamaterial Perspective. Annu Rev Biomed Eng 2020; 22:79-102. [PMID: 32160010 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-082719-032747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Silk fibers, which are protein-based biopolymers produced by spiders and silkworms, are fascinating biomaterials that have been extensively studied for numerous biomedical applications. Silk fibers often have remarkable physical and biological properties that typical synthetic materials do not exhibit. These attributes have prompted a wide variety of silk research, including genetic engineering, biotechnological synthesis, and bioinspired fiber spinning, to produce silk proteins on a large scale and to further enhance their properties. In this review, we describe the basic properties of spider silk and silkworm silk and the important production methods for silk proteins. We discuss recent advances in reinforced silk using silkworm transgenesis and functional additive diets with a focus on biomedical applications. We also explain that reinforced silk has an analogy with metamaterials such that user-designed atypical responses can be engineered beyond what naturally occurring materials offer. These insights into reinforced silk can guide better engineering of superior synthetic biomaterials and lead to discoveries of unexplored biological and medical applications of silk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung Woo Leem
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Malcolm J Fraser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA.,Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA
| | - Young L Kim
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA.,Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering, and Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA;
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178
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Wang Y, Morsali R, Dai Z, Minary-Jolandan M, Qian D. Computational Nanomechanics of Noncollagenous Interfibrillar Interface in Bone. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:25363-25373. [PMID: 32407068 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c01613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The noncollagenous interfibrillar interface in bone provides the critical function of transferring loads among collagen fibrils and their bundles, with adhesive mechanisms at this site thus significantly contributing to the mechanical properties of bone. Motivated by the experimental observations and hypotheses, a computational study is presented to elucidate the critical roles of two major proteins at the nanoscale interfibrillar interface, that is, osteopontin (OPN) and osteocalcin (OC) in bone. This study reveals the extremely high interfacial toughness of the OPN/OC composite. The previously proposed hypothesis of sacrificial bonds in the extracellular organic matrix is tested, and the remarkable mechanical properties of the nanoscale bone interface are attributed to the collaborative interactions between the OPN and OC proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Reza Morsali
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Zhengwei Dai
- College of Material and Textile Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, People's Republic of China
| | - Majid Minary-Jolandan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
| | - Dong Qian
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States
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179
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Wen R, Wang K, Meng Q. Two novel tubuliform silk gene sequences from Araneus ventricosus provide evidence for multiple loci in genome. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 160:806-813. [PMID: 32446899 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.05.141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Spiders produce a diversity of silk fibers from multiple morphologically distinct silk glands for specific tasks, and each silk type primarily composed of one or more particular silk proteins encoded by silk gene family members believed to generated by duplication and divergence of ancient silk genes. Egg case silks spun from tubuliform glands are used to construct the tough outer structure of egg cases, are important for their reproduction. Here we present two novel complete TuSp1 sequences from orb weaving spider Araneus ventricosus. Alignment of the two spidroin iterated repeats showed both extreme intragenic homogenization. The pairwise Ka/Ks analysis revealed the terminal and repetitive regions for three TuSp1 loci including the reported TuSp1 gene are all under purifying selection. Phylogenetic analysis showed the two new TuSp1 variants could derive from recent duplication events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Wen
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Kangkang Wang
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Meng
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
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180
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Zhu H, Sun Y, Yi T, Wang S, Mi J, Meng Q. Tough synthetic spider-silk fibers obtained by titanium dioxide incorporation and formaldehyde cross-linking in a simple wet-spinning process. Biochimie 2020; 175:77-84. [PMID: 32417459 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2020.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Due to its unique mechanical properties, spider silk shows great promise as a strong super-thin fiber in many fields. Although progress has been made in the field of synthesizing spider-silk fiber from recombinant spidroin (spider silk protein) in the last few decades, methods to obtain synthetic spider-silk fibers as tough as natural silk from small-sized recombinant protein with a simple spinning process have eluded scientists. In this paper, a recombinant spidroin (MW: 93.4 kDa) was used to spin tough synthetic spider-silk fibers with a simple wet-spinning process. Titanium oxide incorporation and formaldehyde cross-linking were used to improve the mechanical properties of synthetic spider-silk fibers. Fibers treated with incorporation or/and cross-linking varied in microstructure, strength and extensibility while all exhibited enhanced strength and toughness. In particular, one fiber possessed a toughness of 249 ± 22 MJ/m3. This paper presents a new method to successfully spin tough spider-silk fibers in a simple way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongnian Zhu
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Yuan Sun
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Tuo Yi
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Suyang Wang
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Junpeng Mi
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Qing Meng
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.
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181
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Zhu M, Liu Y, Jiang F, Cao J, Kundu SC, Lu S. Combined Silk Fibroin Microneedles for Insulin Delivery. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2020; 6:3422-3429. [PMID: 33463180 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c00273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
To reduce the pain caused by subcutaneous injections, microneedle patches as the new transdermal drug delivery method are gaining increased attention. In this study, we fabricated a composite insulin-loaded microneedle patch. Silk fibroin, a natural polymer material, was used as the raw material. The tip of the microneedle had good dissolving property and was able to dissolve rapidly to promote the release of insulin. The pedestal had the property of swelling without dissolving and was carrying insulin as a drug store. The insulin carried by the pedestal could release continuously through the micropore channels created by the microneedles. This kind of microneedle could achieve a sustained release effect. It was observed that the insulin had good storage stability in this kind of microneedle, and it maintained more than 90% of its biological activity after 30 days. The results of transdermal delivery to diabetic rats showed that the microneedle patches displayed an apparent hypoglycemic effect and indicated a sustained release effect. These drug-loaded silk microneedle patches may act as potential delivery systems for the treatment of diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingmei Zhu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Fujian Jiang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Jiaxin Cao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Subhas C Kundu
- 3Bs Research Group, I3Bs Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradable and Biomimetics, University of Minho, AvePark Guimaraes 4805-017, Portugal
| | - Shenzhou Lu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
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182
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Hydrothermal Effect on Mechanical Properties of Nephila pilipes Spidroin. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:polym12051013. [PMID: 32365504 PMCID: PMC7284706 DOI: 10.3390/polym12051013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The superlative mechanical properties of spider silk and its conspicuous variations have instigated significant interest over the past few years. However, current attempts to synthetically spin spider silk fibers often yield an inferior physical performance, owing to the improper molecular interactions of silk proteins. Considering this, herein, a post-treatment process to reorganize molecular structures and improve the physical strength of spider silk is reported. The major ampullate dragline silk from Nephila pilipes with a high β-sheet content and an adequate tensile strength was utilized as the study material, while that from Cyrtophora moluccensis was regarded as a reference. Our results indicated that the hydrothermal post-treatment (50-70 °C) of natural spider silk could effectively induce the alternation of secondary structures (random coil to β-sheet) and increase the overall tensile strength of the silk. Such advantageous post-treatment strategy when applied to regenerated spider silk also leads to an increment in the strength by ~2.5-3.0 folds, recapitulating ~90% of the strength of native spider silk. Overall, this study provides a facile and effective post-spinning means for enhancing the molecular structures and mechanical properties of as-spun silk threads, both natural and regenerated.
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183
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Li S, Hang Y, Ding Z, Lu Q, Lu G, Chen H, Kaplan DL. Microfluidic Silk Fibers with Aligned Hierarchical Microstructures. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2020; 6:2847-2854. [PMID: 33463289 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c00060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The hierarchical structure of the ECM provides specific niches for tissues to regulate cell behavior, yet the challenge remains to design biomaterial systems for tissue regeneration to recreate such features in vitro. Here, we achieved this goal through the use of aligned hierarchical structures of native silk fibers, generated through the integration of "bottom-up" and "top-down" strategies to generate regenerated silk fibers with aligned nano- to micro-hierarchical structures. To achieve these designs, we assembled and dispersed silk nanofibers (SNF) in formic acid and spun them into fibers using bioinspired microfluidic chips with a geometry mimicking the native silk gland. The fibers generated using this device exhibited aligned hierarchical structure with fiber mechanical properties superior to fibers derived from more traditional spinning approaches with regenerated silk solutions. Besides the improved mechanical properties, Raman spectroscopic results indicated similarly aligned structures to native fibers and active control of cell proliferation, migration, and aggregate orientation. The results indicate the feasibility of developing bioactive silk fiber materials with hierarchical structures to facilitate utility in a range of cell and tissue regeneration scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyuan Li
- Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214041, China.,College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yingjie Hang
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Zhaozhao Ding
- Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214041, China
| | - Qiang Lu
- Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214041, China.,National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Guozhong Lu
- Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214041, China
| | - Hong Chen
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - David L Kaplan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
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184
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Gonska N, López PA, Lozano-Picazo P, Thorpe M, Guinea GV, Johansson J, Barth A, Pérez-Rigueiro J, Rising A. Structure-Function Relationship of Artificial Spider Silk Fibers Produced by Straining Flow Spinning. Biomacromolecules 2020; 21:2116-2124. [PMID: 32223220 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The production of large quantities of artificial spider silk fibers that match the mechanical properties of the native material has turned out to be challenging. Recent advancements in the field make biomimetic spinning approaches an attractive way forward since they allow the spider silk proteins to assemble into the secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures that are characteristic of the native silk fiber. Straining flow spinning (SFS) is a newly developed and versatile method that allows production under a wide range of processing conditions. Here, we use a recombinant spider silk protein that shows unprecedented water solubility and that is capable of native-like assembly, and we spin it into fibers by the SFS technique. We show that fibers may be spun using different hydrodynamical and chemical conditions and conclude that these spinning conditions affect fiber mechanics. In particular, it was found that the addition of acetonitrile and polyethylene glycol to the collection bath results in fibers with increased β-sheet content and improved mechanical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Gonska
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Centre for Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Box 7045, 756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Patricia A López
- Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, ETSI Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Tecnologı́a Biomédica, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain
| | - Paloma Lozano-Picazo
- Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, ETSI Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Tecnologı́a Biomédica, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain
| | - Michael Thorpe
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Centre for Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Box 7045, 756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gustavo V Guinea
- Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, ETSI Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Tecnologı́a Biomédica, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain
| | - Jan Johansson
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, NEO, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Andreas Barth
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - José Pérez-Rigueiro
- Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, ETSI Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Tecnologı́a Biomédica, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain
| | - Anna Rising
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Centre for Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Box 7045, 756 51 Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, NEO, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
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185
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Goretzki B, Heiby JC, Hacker C, Neuweiler H, Hellmich UA. NMR assignments of a dynamically perturbed and dimerization inhibited N-terminal domain variant of a spider silk protein from E. australis. BIOMOLECULAR NMR ASSIGNMENTS 2020; 14:67-71. [PMID: 31786743 DOI: 10.1007/s12104-019-09922-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Web spiders use specialized glands to produce silk proteins, so-called spidroins, which assemble into extraordinarily tough silk fibers through tightly regulated phase and structural transitions. A crucial step in the polymerization of spidroins is the pH-triggered assembly of their N-terminal domains (NTDs) into tight dimers. Major ampullate spidroin NTDs contain an unusually high content of the amino acid methionine. We previously showed that the simultaneous mutation of the six hydrophobic core methionine residues to leucine in the NTD of the major ampullate spidroin 1 from Euprosthenops australis, a nursery web spider, yields a protein (L6-NTD) retaining a three-dimensional fold identical to the wildtype (WT) domain, yet with a significantly increased stability. Further, the dynamics of the L6-NTD are significantly reduced and the ability to dimerize is severely impaired compared to the WT domain. These properties lead to significant changes in the NMR spectra between WT and L6-NTD so that the previously available WT-NTD assignments cannot be transferred to the mutant protein. Here, we thus report the de novo NMR backbone and side chain assignments of the major ampullate spidroin 1 L6-NTD variant from E. australis as a prerequisite for obtaining further insights into protein structure and dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Goretzki
- Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, Johann-Joachim Becher-Weg 30, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Julia C Heiby
- Department of Biotechnology & Biophysics, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Carolin Hacker
- Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Hannes Neuweiler
- Department of Biotechnology & Biophysics, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ute A Hellmich
- Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, Johann-Joachim Becher-Weg 30, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany.
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186
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Artificial ligament made from silk protein/Laponite hybrid fibers. Acta Biomater 2020; 106:102-113. [PMID: 32014583 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.01.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 01/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
With developments in tissue engineering, artificial ligaments are expected to be future materials for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However, poor healing of the intraosseous part after ACL reconstruction significantly hinders their applications in this field. In this study, a bioactive clay Laponite (LAP) was introduced into the regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) spinning dope to produce functional RSF/LAP hybrid fibers by wet-spinning. These RSF/LAP hybrid fibers were then woven into artificial ligament for ACL reconstruction. The structure and mechanical properties of RSF/LAP hybrid fibers were extensively studied by different means. Results confirmed the presence of LAP in RSF fibers and revealed that the addition of LAP slightly deteriorated the comprehensive mechanical properties of RSF fibers. However, they were still much tougher (with higher breaking energy) than those of degummed natural silkworm silk that was earlier used for making artificial ligament. The artificial ligament woven from RSF/LAP hybrid fibers showed better cytocompatibility and osteogenic differentiation with mouse pre-osteoblasts in vitro than those made from degummed natural silkworm silks and pure RSF fibers. Furthermore, in vivo study in a rat ACL reconstruction model demonstrated that the presence of LAP in the artificial ligament could significantly enhance the graft osseointegration process and also improve the corresponding biomechanical properties of the artificial ligament. Based upon these results, the RSF/LAP hybrid fibers, which can be mass produced by wet-spinning process, are believed to have a great potential for use as artificial ligament materials for ACL reconstruction. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: In this study, we successfully introduced Laponite (LAP), a kind of clay that has the function of osteogenic induction, into regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) fibers, which was prepared by a mature wet-spinning method developed in our lab. We believe that through artificial spinning, additional functional components can be added into RSF fibers, which one can hardly achieve with natural silks. We showed that the artificial ligament woven from RSF/LAP hybrid fibers had better cytocompatibility and osteogenic differentiation for mouse pre-osteoblasts in vitro, and significantly enhanced the graft osseointegration process and improved the corresponding biomechanical properties in a rat ACL reconstruction model in vivo, compared to those artificial ligaments made from degummed natural silkworm silks and pure RSF fibers.
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187
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Liao X, Dulle M, de Souza E Silva JM, Wehrspohn RB, Agarwal S, Förster S, Hou H, Smith P, Greiner A. High strength in combination with high toughness in robust and sustainable polymeric materials. Science 2020; 366:1376-1379. [PMID: 31831668 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay9033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
In materials science, there is an intrinsic conflict between high strength and high toughness, which can be resolved for different materials only through the use of innovative design principles. Advanced materials must be highly resistant to both deformation and fracture. We overcome this conflict in man-made polymer fibers and show multifibrillar polyacrylonitrile yarn with a toughness of 137 ± 21 joules per gram in combination with a tensile strength of 1236 ± 40 megapascals. The nearly perfect uniaxial orientation of the fibrils, annealing under tension in the presence of linking molecules, is essential for the yarn's notable mechanical properties. This underlying principle can be used to create similar strong and tough fibers from other commodity polymers in the future and can be used in a variety of applications in areas such as biomedicine, satellite technology, textiles, aircrafts, and automobiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojian Liao
- Macromolecular Chemistry and Bavarian Polymer Institute, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Martin Dulle
- JCNS-1/ICS-1, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | | | - Ralf B Wehrspohn
- Institute of Physics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Heinrich-Damerow-Straße 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.,Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (IMWS), Walter-Hülse-Straße 1, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Seema Agarwal
- Macromolecular Chemistry and Bavarian Polymer Institute, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Stephan Förster
- JCNS-1/ICS-1, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.,Physical Chemistry, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Haoqing Hou
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330022, People's Republic of China
| | - Paul Smith
- ETH Zürich, HCP F41.2, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Greiner
- Macromolecular Chemistry and Bavarian Polymer Institute, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
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188
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Poddar H, Breitling R, Takano E. Towards engineering and production of artificial spider silk using tools of synthetic biology. ENGINEERING BIOLOGY 2020; 4:1-6. [PMID: 36970229 PMCID: PMC9996717 DOI: 10.1049/enb.2019.0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Spider silk is one of the strongest biomaterials available in nature. Its mechanical properties make it a good candidate for applications in various fields ranging from protective armour to bandages for wound dressing to coatings for medical implants. Spider silk is formed by an intricate arrangement of spidroins, which are extremely large proteins containing long stretches of repeating segments rich in alanine and glycine. A large amount of research has been directed towards harnessing the spectacular potential of spider silks and using them for different applications. The interdisciplinary approach of synthetic biology is an ideal tool to study these spider silk proteins and work towards the engineering and production of synthetic spider silk. This review aims to highlight the recent progress that has been made in the study of spider silk proteins using different branches of synthetic biology. Here, the authors discuss the different computational approaches, directed evolution techniques and various expression platforms that have been tested for the successful production of spider silk. Future challenges facing the field and possible solutions offered by synthetic biology are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hashwardhan Poddar
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM The University of Manchester Manchester M1 7DN UK
| | - Rainer Breitling
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM The University of Manchester Manchester M1 7DN UK
| | - Eriko Takano
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre SYNBIOCHEM The University of Manchester Manchester M1 7DN UK
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189
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Dugger TW, Sarkar S, Correa-Garhwal SM, Zhernenkov M, Zhang Y, Kolhatkar G, Mohan R, Cruz L, Lubio AD, Ruediger A, Hayashi CY, Uhrich KE, Kisailus DJ. Ultrastructures and Mechanics of Annealed Nephila clavipes Major Ampullate Silk. Biomacromolecules 2020; 21:1186-1194. [PMID: 32003982 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.9b01615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The semicrystalline protein structure and impressive mechanical properties of major ampullate (MA) spider silk make it a promising natural alternative to polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers for carbon fiber manufacture. However, when annealed using a similar procedure to carbon fiber production, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of MA silk decrease. Despite this, MA silk fibers annealed at 600 °C remain stronger and tougher than similarly annealed PAN but have a lower Young's modulus. Although MA silk and PAN graphitize to similar extents, annealing disrupts the hydrogen bonding that controls crystal alignment within MA silk. Consequently, unaligned graphite crystals form in annealed MA silk, causing it to weaken, while graphite crystals in PAN maintain alignment along the fiber axis, strengthening the fibers. These shortcomings of spider silk when annealed provide insights into the selection and design of future alternative carbon fiber precursors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W Dugger
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Sourangsu Sarkar
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Sandra M Correa-Garhwal
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, 743 Brookhaven Avenue, Upton, New York 11973-5000, United States
| | - Yugang Zhang
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, 743 Brookhaven Avenue, Upton, New York 11973-5000, United States
| | - Gitanjali Kolhatkar
- Nanoelectronics-Nanophotonics, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, 1650, Boul. Lionel-Boulet, Varennes J3X1S2, Québec, Canada
| | - Ramya Mohan
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Luz Cruz
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Aura D Lubio
- Nanoelectronics-Nanophotonics, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, 1650, Boul. Lionel-Boulet, Varennes J3X1S2, Québec, Canada
| | - Andreas Ruediger
- Nanoelectronics-Nanophotonics, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, 1650, Boul. Lionel-Boulet, Varennes J3X1S2, Québec, Canada
| | - Cheryl Y Hayashi
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, California 92521, United States.,Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, California 92521, United States.,Division of Invertebrate Zoology and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024-5192, United States
| | - Kathryn E Uhrich
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, California 92521, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - David J Kisailus
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, California 92521, United States.,Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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190
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Yin Q, Jia H, Mohamed A, Ji Q, Hong L. Highly flexible and mechanically strong polyaniline nanostructure @ aramid nanofiber films for free-standing supercapacitor electrodes. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:5507-5520. [PMID: 32091058 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr09272b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A key challenge for the fabrication of flexible electrochemical capacitors is to prepare robust electrode materials with excellent integration of high specific capacitances and superior mechanical properties. Aramid nanofibers (ANFs) are emerging candidates for constructing flexible electrode materials due to their superior mechanical properties. However, the present ANF based electrode materials are generally designed by mixing ANFs with electrochemically active components, which results in an unfavorable trade-off in mechanical and electrochemical properties. In this work, we reported flexible, mechanically strong, and free-standing supercapacitor electrodes based on polyaniline (PANI) nanostructure functionalized ANF films for the first time. The flexible PANI@ANF film electrodes achieved an efficient combination of mechanical and electrochemical performance in a single platform with a specific capacitance of 441.0 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1 and a tensile strength of 233.3 MPa, respectively. This kind of free-standing electrode material may have great potential in the development of flexible energy-storage devices. Furthermore, we anticipate that this study may provide insight into the functionalization of aramid nanofiber-based materials for structural energy and power systems with high mechanical performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Yin
- Key Laboratory for Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China.
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191
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Franks NR, Worley A, Falkenberg M, Sendova-Franks AB, Christensen K. Digging the optimum pit: antlions, spirals and spontaneous stratification. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20190365. [PMID: 30900535 PMCID: PMC6452065 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Most animal traps are constructed from self-secreted silk, so antlions are rare among trap builders because they use only materials found in the environment. We show how antlions exploit the properties of the substrate to produce very effective structures in the minimum amount of time. Our modelling demonstrates how antlions: (i) exploit self-stratification in granular media differentially to expose deleterious large grains at the bottom of the construction trench where they can be ejected preferentially, and (ii) minimize completion time by spiral rather than central digging. Both phenomena are confirmed by our experiments. Spiral digging saves time because it enables the antlion to eject material initially from the periphery of the pit where it is less likely to topple back into the centre. As a result, antlions can produce their pits—lined almost exclusively with small slippery grains to maximize powerful avalanches and hence prey capture—much more quickly than if they simply dig at the pit's centre. Our demonstration, for the first time to our knowledge, of an animal using self-stratification in granular media exemplifies the sophistication of extended phenotypes even if they are only formed from material found in the animal's environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nigel R Franks
- 1 School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol , 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ , UK
| | - Alan Worley
- 1 School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol , 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ , UK
| | - Max Falkenberg
- 2 Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London , South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ , UK.,3 Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London , South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ , UK
| | - Ana B Sendova-Franks
- 4 Department of Engineering Design and Mathematics, UWE Bristol , Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY , UK
| | - Kim Christensen
- 2 Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London , South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ , UK.,3 Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London , South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ , UK
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192
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Kong N, Wan F, Dai W, Wu P, Su C, Peng C, Zheng K, Chen X, Ling S, Gong J, Yao Y. A Cuboid Spider Silk: Structure–Function Relationship and Polypeptide Signature. Macromol Rapid Commun 2020; 41:e1900583. [DOI: 10.1002/marc.201900583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Na Kong
- School of Physical Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech University 393 Middle Huaxia Road Pudong Shanghai 201210 China
| | - Fengju Wan
- School of Physical Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech University 393 Middle Huaxia Road Pudong Shanghai 201210 China
| | - Wentao Dai
- Shanghai Center for Bioinformation Technology & Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Pharmaceutical TranslationShanghai Industrial Technology Institute 1278 Keyuan Road Shanghai 201203 China
| | - Ping Wu
- National Facility for Protein Science in ShanghaiZhangjiang Lab Shanghai 201210 China
- Shanghai Science Research CenterChinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201204 China
| | - Chen Su
- National Facility for Protein Science in ShanghaiZhangjiang Lab Shanghai 201210 China
- Shanghai Science Research CenterChinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201204 China
| | - Chao Peng
- National Facility for Protein Science in ShanghaiZhangjiang Lab Shanghai 201210 China
- Shanghai Science Research CenterChinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201204 China
| | - Ke Zheng
- School of Physical Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech University 393 Middle Huaxia Road Pudong Shanghai 201210 China
| | - Xuexin Chen
- Institute of Insect ScienceCollege of Agriculture and BiotechnologyZhejiang University 310058 Hangzhou China
| | - Shengjie Ling
- School of Physical Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech University 393 Middle Huaxia Road Pudong Shanghai 201210 China
| | - Jinkang Gong
- School of Physical Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech University 393 Middle Huaxia Road Pudong Shanghai 201210 China
| | - Yuan Yao
- School of Physical Science and TechnologyShanghaiTech University 393 Middle Huaxia Road Pudong Shanghai 201210 China
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193
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Kamada A, Levin A, Toprakcioglu Z, Shen Y, Lutz-Bueno V, Baumann KN, Mohammadi P, Linder MB, Mezzenga R, Knowles TPJ. Modulating the Mechanical Performance of Macroscale Fibers through Shear-Induced Alignment and Assembly of Protein Nanofibrils. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2020; 16:e1904190. [PMID: 31595701 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201904190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Protein-based fibers are used by nature as high-performance materials in a wide range of applications, including providing structural support, creating thermal insulation, and generating underwater adhesives. Such fibers are commonly generated through a hierarchical self-assembly process, where the molecular building blocks are geometrically confined and aligned along the fiber axis to provide a high level of structural robustness. Here, this approach is mimicked by using a microfluidic spinning method to enable precise control over multiscale order during the assembly process of nanoscale protein nanofibrils into micro- and macroscale fibers. By varying the flow rates on chip, the degree of nanofibril alignment can be tuned, leading to an orientation index comparable to that of native silk. It is found that the Young's modulus of the resulting fibers increases with an increasing level of nanoscale alignment of the building blocks, suggesting that the mechanical properties of macroscopic fibers can be controlled through varying the level of ordering of the nanoscale building blocks. Capitalizing on strategies evolved by nature, the fabrication method allows for the controlled formation of macroscopic fibers and offers the potential to be applied for the generation of further novel bioinspired materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayaka Kamada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Aviad Levin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Zenon Toprakcioglu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Yi Shen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Viviane Lutz-Bueno
- Laboratory of Food and Soft Materials Science, ETH Zurich, Schmelzbergstrasse, 9, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kevin N Baumann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Pezhman Mohammadi
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., VTT, FI-02044, Espoo, Finland
| | - Markus B Linder
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, Kemistintie 1, 00076, Aalto, Espoo, Finland
| | - Raffaele Mezzenga
- Laboratory of Food and Soft Materials Science, ETH Zurich, Schmelzbergstrasse, 9, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tuomas P J Knowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
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194
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Dong Q, Fang G, Huang Y, Hu L, Yao J, Shao Z, Ling S, Chen X. Effect of stress on the molecular structure and mechanical properties of supercontracted spider dragline silks. J Mater Chem B 2020; 8:168-176. [PMID: 31789330 DOI: 10.1039/c9tb02032b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Supercontraction is one of the most interesting properties of spider dragline silks. In this study, changes in the secondary structures of the Nephila edulis spider dragline silk after it was subjected to different supercontraction processes were investigated by integrating synchrotron Fourier transform infrared (S-FTIR) microspectroscopy and mechanical characterization. The results showed that after free supercontraction, the β-sheet lost most of its orientation, while the helix and random coils were almost totally disordered. Interestingly, by conducting different types of supercontractions (i.e., stretching of the free supercontracted spider dragline silk to its original length or performing constrained supercontraction), it was found that although the molecular structures all changed after supercontraction, the mechanical properties almost remained unchanged when the length of the spider dragline silk did not change significantly. The other interesting conclusion obtained is that the manual stretching of a poorly oriented spider dragline silk cannot selectively improve the orientation degree of the β-sheet in the spider silk, but increase the orientation degree of all conformations (β-sheet, helix, and random). These experimental findings not only help to unveil the structure-property-function relationship of natural spider silks, but also provide a useful guideline for the design of biomimetic spider fiber materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinglin Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People's Republic of China.
| | - Guangqiang Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yufang Huang
- Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People's Republic of China
| | - Linli Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jinrong Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhengzhong Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People's Republic of China.
| | - Shengjie Ling
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People's Republic of China.
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195
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Mathew M, Aravindakumar CT, Aravind UK. Unravelling the fibrillation mechanism of ovalbumin in the presence of mercury at its isoelectric pH. RSC Adv 2020; 10:16415-16421. [PMID: 35498851 PMCID: PMC9052921 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra10655c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The intriguing resemblances of amyloid fibrils and spider silk in protein aggregation diseases have instigated the exploration of identical structural features if any in their oligomeric pathways. The serpin group protein, ovalbumin, on defolding in HgCl2 shares commonness to the micellar pathway of spidroins for their aggregation in response to a pH trigger. The structural feature changes from monomer to worm like fibril with a shift in the primary protein pH to slightly acidic pH (4.5), and then proceeds through a secondary nucleation pathway to ‘hillock’ and ‘hydra’ like protofibrils rich in β-sheet and random coil conformers upon exposure to mercury. The findings are backed by atomic force microscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy and fluorescence measurements. Unlocking such structural features can favorably assist in the design of therapeutics. Mercuric chloride triggered ovalbumin aggregation pathway and its resemblance to Nephila clavipes.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Manjumol Mathew
- Advanced Centre of Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development
- Mahatma Gandhi University
- Kottayam-686 560
- India
| | - Charuvila T. Aravindakumar
- School of Environmental Sciences
- Inter University Instrumentation Centre
- Mahatma Gandhi University
- Kottayam-686 560
- India
| | - Usha K. Aravind
- School of Environmental Studies
- Cochin University of Science and Technology
- Kochi-682022
- India
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196
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Tian D, Yu DN, Xu YM, Ding XY, Zhang ZY, Wan CL, He JH. Electrospun Mussel-derived Silk Fibers. RECENT PATENTS ON NANOTECHNOLOGY 2020; 14:14-20. [PMID: 32370708 DOI: 10.2174/1872210513666190426145024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2018] [Revised: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Though there are many patents on silk, patents on sea silk are rare. Sea silk is one of the most coveted materials in the world, and the technology to make sea silk is at an extremely high risk of extinction. Unlike spider dragline silk and silkworm silk, this natural silk has been forgotten in the academic commune for millennia, though it has many fascinating properties: high strength, remarkable adhesion, extreme lightweight, and others. METHODS Here we report that mussel-derived silk fibers can be fabricated by electrospinning. Instead of extracting proteins from byssus, we directly use the protein solution from alive blue mussels, which are intensely commercially used. The protein solution and the polyvinyl alcohol solution are mixed together to produce mussel-based silk fibers. RESULTS The mussel-based silk fibers have many special properties like high mechanical strength, remarkable super-contraction and good wetting properties. CONCLUSION The electrospinning mussel-based silk fibers have the potential for use as a replacement for the rarest sea silk and as a new bio-inspired material with multi-functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Tian
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Dan-Ni Yu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yi-Ming Xu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Xu-Yin Ding
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Zhou-Yu Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Chun-Lan Wan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Ji-Huan He
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou 215123, China
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197
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Guo C, Li C, Vu HV, Hanna P, Lechtig A, Qiu Y, Mu X, Ling S, Nazarian A, Lin SJ, Kaplan DL. Thermoplastic moulding of regenerated silk. NATURE MATERIALS 2020; 19:102-108. [PMID: 31844276 PMCID: PMC6986341 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-019-0560-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Early insights into the unique structure and properties of native silk suggested that β-sheet nanocrystallites in silk would degrade prior to melting when subjected to thermal processing. Since then, canonical approaches for fabricating silk-based materials typically involve solution-derived processing methods, which have inherent limitations with respect to silk protein solubility and stability in solution, and time and cost efficiency. Here we report a thermal processing method for the direct solid-state moulding of regenerated silk into bulk 'parts' or devices with tunable mechanical properties. At elevated temperature and pressure, regenerated amorphous silk nanomaterials with ultralow β-sheet content undergo thermal fusion via molecular rearrangement and self-assembly assisted by bound water to form a robust bulk material that retains biocompatibility, degradability and machinability. This technique reverses presumptions about the limitations of direct thermal processing of silk into a wide range of new material formats and composite materials with tailored properties and functionalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengchen Guo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Chunmei Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.
| | - Hiep V Vu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Philip Hanna
- Center for Advanced Orthopedic Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aron Lechtig
- Center for Advanced Orthopedic Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yimin Qiu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Xuan Mu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Shengjie Ling
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ara Nazarian
- Center for Advanced Orthopedic Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yerevan State Medical University, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Samuel J Lin
- Divisions of Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David L Kaplan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.
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198
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Xu S, Li X, Zhou Y, Lin Y, Meng Q. Structural characterization and mechanical properties of chimeric Masp1/Flag minispidroins. Biochimie 2020; 168:251-258. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2019.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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199
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Saleem M, Rasheed S, Yougen C. Silk fibroin/hydroxyapatite scaffold: a highly compatible material for bone regeneration. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF ADVANCED MATERIALS 2020; 21:242-266. [PMID: 32489483 PMCID: PMC7241470 DOI: 10.1080/14686996.2020.1748520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
In recent years remarkable efforts have been made to produce artificial bone through tissue engineering techniques. Silk fibroin (SF) and hydroxyapatite (HA) have been used in bone tissue regeneration as biomaterials due to mechanical properties of SF and biocompatibility of HA. There has been growing interest in developing SF/HA composites to reduce bone defects. In this regard, several attempts have been made to study the biocompatibility and osteoconductive properties of this material. This article overviews the recent advance from last few decades in terms of the preparative methods and application of SF/HA in bone regeneration. Its first part is related to SF that presents the most common sources, preparation methods and comparison of SF with other biomaterials. The second part illustrates the importance of HA by providing information about its production and properties. The third part presents comparative studies of SF/HA composites with different concentrations of HA along with methods of preparation of composites and their applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Saleem
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
- Department of Optoelectronic Science and Technology, 518060, Shenzhen University, P.R China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kotli, AzadJammu and Kashmir
| | - Sidra Rasheed
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kotli, AzadJammu and Kashmir
- Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Biomedical Materials, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Defence Road, Off. Raiwind Road, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Chen Yougen
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518060, China
- Department of Optoelectronic Science and Technology, 518060, Shenzhen University, P.R China
- CONTACT Chen Yougen Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong518060, China
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200
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Sahoo JK, VandenBerg MA, Webber MJ. Kinetic Evolution in Metal-Dependent Self-Assembly of Peptide-Terpyridine Conjugates. Macromol Rapid Commun 2019; 41:e1900565. [PMID: 31880036 DOI: 10.1002/marc.201900565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Nature realizes impressive structures and emergent functions through precisely organized non-covalent interactions, and this inspires the use of supramolecular motifs to engineer new materials. Herein, an amphiphilic peptide-terpyridine conjugate is reported that forms 1D nanostructures leading to hydrogels. Upon the addition of metal, a slow kinetic transition occurs, resulting in nanostructures which are dictated by the chosen metal binding to the terpyridine ligand. As such, bis-complex formation between terminal terpyridines redirects the assembly from peptide-driven 1D structures to an assortment of new nanostructures which evolve and appear over the course of weeks. Studies where pre-existing peptide structures are disrupted prior to metal addition yield these same structures right away, further confirming the kinetically labored pathway to their formation when beginning from an assembled state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jugal Kishore Sahoo
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Michael A VandenBerg
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Matthew J Webber
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
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