1
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Schmuck B, Greco G, Pessatti TB, Sonavane S, Langwallner V, Arndt T, Rising A. Strategies for Making High-Performance Artificial Spider Silk Fibers. ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS 2024; 34:2305040. [PMID: 39355086 PMCID: PMC11440630 DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202305040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2024]
Abstract
Artificial spider silk is an attractive material for many technical applications since it is a biobased fiber that can be produced under ambient conditions but still outcompetes synthetic fibers (e.g., Kevlar) in terms of toughness. Industrial use of this material requires bulk-scale production of recombinant spider silk proteins in heterologous host and replication of the pristine fiber's mechanical properties. High molecular weight spider silk proteins can be spun into fibers with impressive mechanical properties, but the production levels are too low to allow commercialization of the material. Small spider silk proteins, on the other hand, can be produced at yields that are compatible with industrial use, but the mechanical properties of such fibers need to be improved. Here, the literature on wet-spinning of artificial spider silk fibers is summarized and analyzed with a focus on mechanical performance. Furthermore, several strategies for how to improve the properties of such fibers, including optimized protein composition, smarter spinning setups, innovative protein engineering, chemical and physical crosslinking as well as the incorporation of nanomaterials in composite fibers, are outlined and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Schmuck
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesBox 7011Uppsala75007Sweden
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska Institutet, NeoHuddinge14186Sweden
| | - Gabriele Greco
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesBox 7011Uppsala75007Sweden
| | - Tomas Bohn Pessatti
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesBox 7011Uppsala75007Sweden
| | - Sumalata Sonavane
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesBox 7011Uppsala75007Sweden
| | - Viktoria Langwallner
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesBox 7011Uppsala75007Sweden
| | - Tina Arndt
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska Institutet, NeoHuddinge14186Sweden
| | - Anna Rising
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesBox 7011Uppsala75007Sweden
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska Institutet, NeoHuddinge14186Sweden
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2
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Arndt T, Chatterjee U, Shilkova O, Francis J, Lundkvist J, Johansson D, Schmuck B, Greco G, Nordberg ÅE, Li Y, Wahlberg LU, Langton M, Johansson J, Götherström C, Rising A. Tuneable Recombinant Spider Silk Protein Hydrogels for Drug Release and 3D Cell Culture. ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS 2024; 34:2303622. [PMID: 39355087 PMCID: PMC11440629 DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202303622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2024]
Abstract
Hydrogels are useful drug release systems and tissue engineering scaffolds. However, synthetic hydrogels often require harsh gelation conditions and can contain toxic by-products while naturally derived hydrogels can transmit pathogens and in general have poor mechanical properties. Thus, there is a need for a hydrogel that forms under ambient conditions, is non-toxic, xeno-free, and has good mechanical properties. A recombinant spider silk protein-derived hydrogel that rapidly forms at 37 °C is recently developed. The temperature and gelation times are well-suited for an injectable in situ polymerising hydrogel, as well as a 3D cell culture scaffold. Here, it is shown that the diffusion rate and the mechanical properties can be tuned by changing the protein concentration and that human fetal mesenchymal stem cells encapsulated in the hydrogels show high survival and viability. Furthermore, mixtures of recombinant spider silk proteins and green fluorescent protein (GFP) form gels from which functional GFP is gradually released, indicating that bioactive molecules are easily included in the gels, maintain activity and can diffuse through the gel. Interestingly, encapsulated ARPE-19 cells are viable and continuously produce the growth factor progranulin, which is detected in the cell culture medium over the study period of 31 days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Arndt
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14152Sweden
| | - Urmimala Chatterjee
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14152Sweden
| | - Olga Shilkova
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14152Sweden
| | - Juanita Francis
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14152Sweden
| | | | - Daniel Johansson
- Department of Molecular SciencesSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsala75007Sweden
| | - Benjamin Schmuck
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14152Sweden
- Department of AnatomyPhysiology and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsala75007Sweden
| | - Gabriele Greco
- Department of AnatomyPhysiology and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsala75007Sweden
| | - Åsa Ekblad Nordberg
- Department of Clinical ScienceIntervention and TechnologyDivision of Obstetrics and GynecologyKarolinska InstitutetHuddinge14152Sweden
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Clinical ScienceIntervention and TechnologyDivision of Orthopedics and BiotechnologyKarolinska UniversitetssjukhusetHuddinge141 86Sweden
| | | | - Maud Langton
- Department of Molecular SciencesSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsala75007Sweden
| | - Jan Johansson
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14152Sweden
| | - Cecilia Götherström
- Department of Clinical ScienceIntervention and TechnologyDivision of Obstetrics and GynecologyKarolinska InstitutetHuddinge14152Sweden
| | - Anna Rising
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14152Sweden
- Department of AnatomyPhysiology and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsala75007Sweden
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3
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De Oliveira DH, Gowda V, Sparrman T, Gustafsson L, Sanches Pires R, Riekel C, Barth A, Lendel C, Hedhammar M. Structural conversion of the spidroin C-terminal domain during assembly of spider silk fibers. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4670. [PMID: 38821983 PMCID: PMC11143275 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49111-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The major ampullate Spidroin 1 (MaSp1) is the main protein of the dragline spider silk. The C-terminal (CT) domain of MaSp1 is crucial for the self-assembly into fibers but the details of how it contributes to the fiber formation remain unsolved. Here we exploit the fact that the CT domain can form silk-like fibers by itself to gain knowledge about this transition. Structural investigations of fibers from recombinantly produced CT domain from E. australis MaSp1 reveal an α-helix to β-sheet transition upon fiber formation and highlight the helix No4 segment as most likely to initiate the structural conversion. This prediction is corroborated by the finding that a peptide corresponding to helix No4 has the ability of pH-induced conversion into β-sheets and self-assembly into nanofibrils. Our results provide structural information about the CT domain in fiber form and clues about its role in triggering the structural conversion of spidroins during fiber assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo Hirabae De Oliveira
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Chemistry, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Vasantha Gowda
- Department of Chemistry, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Linnea Gustafsson
- Spiber Technologies AB, Roslagstullsbacken 15, 114 21, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Christian Riekel
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, B.P. 220, F-38043, Grenoble Cedex, France
| | - Andreas Barth
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christofer Lendel
- Department of Chemistry, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - My Hedhammar
- Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm, Sweden.
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4
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Chen Z, Cheng C, Liu L, Lin B, Xiong Y, Zhu W, Zheng K, He B. Tyrosine Mutation in the Characteristic Motif of the Amorphous Region of Spidroin for Self-Assembly Capability Enhancement. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:22441-22449. [PMID: 38799334 PMCID: PMC11112579 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c02477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Spidroin, with robust mechanical performance and good biocompatibility, could fulfill broad applications in material science and biomedical fields. Development of miniature spidroin has made abundant fiber production economically feasible, but the mechanical properties of artificial silk still fall short of natural silk. The mechanism behind mechanical properties of spidroin usually focuses on β-microcrystalline regions; the effect of amorphous regions was barely studied. In this study, residue tyrosines (Y) were designed to replace asparagine (N)/glutamic acid (Q) in the characteristic motifs (GGX)n in amorphous regions for performance enhancement of spidroin; the mutants presented lower free energy and significantly exhibited stronger van der Waals and electrostatic interactions, which might result from π-π stacking interactions between the phenyl rings in the side chain of tyrosine. Additionally, the soluble expressions of wild-type spidroin and mutant spidroin were achieved when heterologously expressed in E. coli, with yields of 560 mg/L (2REP), 590 mg/L (2REPM), 240 mg/L (4REP), and 280 mg/L (4REPM). Significantly, secondary structure analysis confirmed that the mutant spidroin more avidly forms more β-sheets than the wild-type spidroin, and aggregation morphology suggested that mutant spidroin displayed better self-assembly capacity and was easier to form artificial spider silk fibers; in particular, self-assembled 4REPM nanofibrils had an average modulus of 11.2 ± 0.35 GPa, about 2 times higher than self-assembled B. mori silk nanofibrils and almost the same as that of native spider dragline silk fibers (10-15 GPa). Thus, we first demonstrated a new influence mechanism of the amorphous region's characteristic motif on the self-assembly and material properties of spidroin. Our study provides a reference for the design of high-performance material proteins and their heterologous preparation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyang Chen
- College
of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing 211816, China
| | - Cheng Cheng
- School
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nanjing Tech
University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing 211816, China
| | - Li Liu
- Biomass
Molecular Engineering Center and Department of Materials Science and
Engineering, School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui 230036, China
| | - Baoyang Lin
- College
of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing 211816, China
| | - Yongji Xiong
- College
of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing 211816, China
| | - Weiyu Zhu
- School
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nanjing Tech
University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing 211816, China
| | - Ke Zheng
- Biomass
Molecular Engineering Center and Department of Materials Science and
Engineering, School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui 230036, China
| | - Bingfang He
- School
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nanjing Tech
University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing 211816, China
- College
of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, No. 30 Puzhu South Road, Nanjing 211816, China
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5
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Wu D, Koscic A, Schneider S, Dubini RCA, Rodriguez Camargo DC, Schneider S, Rovó P. Unveiling the Dynamic Self-Assembly of a Recombinant Dragline-Silk-Mimicking Protein. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:1759-1774. [PMID: 38343096 PMCID: PMC10934265 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Despite the considerable interest in the recombinant production of synthetic spider silk fibers that possess mechanical properties similar to those of native spider silks, such as the cost-effectiveness, tunability, and scalability realization, is still lacking. To address this long-standing challenge, we have constructed an artificial spider silk gene using Golden Gate assembly for the recombinant bacterial production of dragline-mimicking silk, incorporating all the essential components: the N-terminal domain, a 33-residue-long major-ampullate-spidroin-inspired segment repeated 16 times, and the C-terminal domain (N16C). This designed silk-like protein was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and cast into films from formic acid. We produced uniformly 13C-15N-labeled N16C films and employed solid-state magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for characterization. Thus, we could demonstrate that our bioengineered silk-like protein self-assembles into a film where, when hydrated, the solvent-exposed layer of the rigid, β-nanocrystalline polyalanine core undergoes a transition to an α-helical structure, gaining mobility to the extent that it fully dissolves in water and transforms into a highly dynamic random coil. This hydration-induced behavior induces chain dynamics in the glycine-rich amorphous soft segments on the microsecond time scale, contributing to the elasticity of the solid material. Our findings not only reveal the presence of structurally and dynamically distinct segments within the film's superstructure but also highlight the complexity of the self-organization responsible for the exceptional mechanical properties observed in proteins that mimic dragline silk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongqing Wu
- Department
of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Anamaria Koscic
- Department
of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Sonja Schneider
- Department
of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Romeo C. A. Dubini
- Department
of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Center
for Nanoscience (CeNS), Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Diana C. Rodriguez Camargo
- Department
of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Sabine Schneider
- Department
of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Petra Rovó
- Department
of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Institute
of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
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6
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Rising A, Harrington MJ. Biological Materials Processing: Time-Tested Tricks for Sustainable Fiber Fabrication. Chem Rev 2023; 123:2155-2199. [PMID: 36508546 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
There is an urgent need to improve the sustainability of the materials we produce and use. Here, we explore what humans can learn from nature about how to sustainably fabricate polymeric fibers with excellent material properties by reviewing the physical and chemical aspects of materials processing distilled from diverse model systems, including spider silk, mussel byssus, velvet worm slime, hagfish slime, and mistletoe viscin. We identify common and divergent strategies, highlighting the potential for bioinspired design and technology transfer. Despite the diversity of the biopolymeric fibers surveyed, we identify several common strategies across multiple systems, including: (1) use of stimuli-responsive biomolecular building blocks, (2) use of concentrated fluid precursor phases (e.g., coacervates and liquid crystals) stored under controlled chemical conditions, and (3) use of chemical (pH, salt concentration, redox chemistry) and physical (mechanical shear, extensional flow) stimuli to trigger the transition from fluid precursor to solid material. Importantly, because these materials largely form and function outside of the body of the organisms, these principles can more easily be transferred for bioinspired design in synthetic systems. We end the review by discussing ongoing efforts and challenges to mimic biological model systems, with a particular focus on artificial spider silks and mussel-inspired materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Rising
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge 141 52, Sweden.,Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala 750 07, Sweden
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7
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Arndt T, Jaudzems K, Shilkova O, Francis J, Johansson M, Laity PR, Sahin C, Chatterjee U, Kronqvist N, Barajas-Ledesma E, Kumar R, Chen G, Strömberg R, Abelein A, Langton M, Landreh M, Barth A, Holland C, Johansson J, Rising A. Spidroin N-terminal domain forms amyloid-like fibril based hydrogels and provides a protein immobilization platform. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4695. [PMID: 35970823 PMCID: PMC9378615 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32093-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Recombinant spider silk proteins (spidroins) have multiple potential applications in development of novel biomaterials, but their multimodal and aggregation-prone nature have complicated production and straightforward applications. Here, we report that recombinant miniature spidroins, and importantly also the N-terminal domain (NT) on its own, rapidly form self-supporting and transparent hydrogels at 37 °C. The gelation is caused by NT α-helix to β-sheet conversion and formation of amyloid-like fibrils, and fusion proteins composed of NT and green fluorescent protein or purine nucleoside phosphorylase form hydrogels with intact functions of the fusion moieties. Our findings demonstrate that recombinant NT and fusion proteins give high expression yields and bestow attractive properties to hydrogels, e.g., transparency, cross-linker free gelation and straightforward immobilization of active proteins at high density. Recombinant spider silks are of interest but the multimodal and aggregation-prone nature of them is a limitation. Here, the authors report on a miniature spidroin based on the N-terminal domain which forms a hydrogel at 37 °C which allows for ease of production and fusion protein modification to generate functional biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Arndt
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge, 141 52, Sweden
| | - Kristaps Jaudzems
- Department of Physical Organic Chemistry, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Riga, LV-1006, Latvia
| | - Olga Shilkova
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge, 141 52, Sweden
| | - Juanita Francis
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge, 141 52, Sweden
| | - Mathias Johansson
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, 750 07, Sweden, Box 7015
| | - Peter R Laity
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, UK
| | - Cagla Sahin
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Solna, Sweden
| | - Urmimala Chatterjee
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge, 141 52, Sweden
| | - Nina Kronqvist
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge, 141 52, Sweden
| | - Edgar Barajas-Ledesma
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Solna, Sweden
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge, 141 52, Sweden
| | - Gefei Chen
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge, 141 52, Sweden
| | - Roger Strömberg
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge, 141 52, Sweden
| | - Axel Abelein
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge, 141 52, Sweden
| | - Maud Langton
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, 750 07, Sweden, Box 7015
| | - Michael Landreh
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solnavägen 9, 171 65, Solna, Sweden
| | - Andreas Barth
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Chris Holland
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, UK
| | - Jan Johansson
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge, 141 52, Sweden
| | - Anna Rising
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge, 141 52, Sweden. .,Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, 750 07, Sweden.
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8
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Arndt T, Greco G, Schmuck B, Bunz J, Shilkova O, Francis J, Pugno NM, Jaudzems K, Barth A, Johansson J, Rising A. Engineered Spider Silk Proteins for Biomimetic Spinning of Fibers with Toughness Equal to Dragline Silks. ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS 2022; 32:2200986. [PMID: 36505976 PMCID: PMC9720699 DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202200986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Spider silk is the toughest fiber found in nature, and bulk production of artificial spider silk that matches its mechanical properties remains elusive. Development of miniature spider silk proteins (mini-spidroins) has made large-scale fiber production economically feasible, but the fibers' mechanical properties are inferior to native silk. The spider silk fiber's tensile strength is conferred by poly-alanine stretches that are zipped together by tight side chain packing in β-sheet crystals. Spidroins are secreted so they must be void of long stretches of hydrophobic residues, since such segments get inserted into the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. At the same time, hydrophobic residues have high β-strand propensity and can mediate tight inter-β-sheet interactions, features that are attractive for generation of strong artificial silks. Protein production in prokaryotes can circumvent biological laws that spiders, being eukaryotic organisms, must obey, and the authors thus design mini-spidroins that are predicted to more avidly form stronger β-sheets than the wildtype protein. Biomimetic spinning of the engineered mini-spidroins indeed results in fibers with increased tensile strength and two fiber types display toughness equal to native dragline silks. Bioreactor expression and purification result in a protein yield of ≈9 g L-1 which is in line with requirements for economically feasible bulk scale production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Arndt
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14183Sweden
| | - Gabriele Greco
- Laboratory for Bioinspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta, Materials & MechanicsDepartment of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of TrentoVia Mesiano 77Trento38123Italy
- Department of AnatomyPhysiology and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsala75007Sweden
| | - Benjamin Schmuck
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14183Sweden
- Department of AnatomyPhysiology and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsala75007Sweden
| | - Jessica Bunz
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14183Sweden
- Present address:
Spiber Technologies ABAlbaNova University CenterSE‐10691StockholmSweden
| | - Olga Shilkova
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14183Sweden
| | - Juanita Francis
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14183Sweden
| | - Nicola M Pugno
- Laboratory for Bioinspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta, Materials & MechanicsDepartment of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of TrentoVia Mesiano 77Trento38123Italy
- School of Engineering and Materials SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonMile End RoadLondonE1 4NSUK
| | - Kristaps Jaudzems
- Department of Physical Organic ChemistryLatvian Institute of Organic SynthesisRigaLV‐1006Latvia
| | - Andreas Barth
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsThe Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural SciencesStockholm UniversityStockholm10691Sweden
| | - Jan Johansson
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14183Sweden
| | - Anna Rising
- Department of Biosciences and NutritionKarolinska InstitutetNeoHuddinge14183Sweden
- Department of AnatomyPhysiology and BiochemistrySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUppsala75007Sweden
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9
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Hansson ML, Chatterjee U, Francis J, Arndt T, Broman C, Johansson J, Sköld MK, Rising A. Artificial spider silk supports and guides neurite extension in vitro. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21896. [PMID: 34634154 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100916r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Surgical intervention with the use of autografts is considered the gold standard to treat peripheral nerve injuries. However, a biomaterial that supports and guides nerve growth would be an attractive alternative to overcome problems with limited availability, morbidity at the site of harvest, and nerve mismatches related to autografts. Native spider silk is a promising material for construction of nerve guidance conduit (NGC), as it enables regeneration of cm-long nerve injuries in sheep, but regulatory requirements for medical devices demand synthetic materials. Here, we use a recombinant spider silk protein (NT2RepCT) and a functionalized variant carrying a peptide derived from vitronectin (VN-NT2RepCT) as substrates for nerve growth support and neurite extension, using a dorsal root ganglion cell line, ND7/23. Two-dimensional coatings were benchmarked against poly-d-lysine and recombinant laminins. Both spider silk coatings performed as the control substrates with regards to proliferation, survival, and neurite growth. Furthermore, NT2RepCT and VN-NT2RepCT spun into continuous fibers in a biomimetic spinning set-up support cell survival, neurite growth, and guidance to an even larger extent than native spider silk. Thus, artificial spider silk is a promising biomaterial for development of NGCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magnus L Hansson
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.,Experimental Traumatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum B8 Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Urmimala Chatterjee
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Juanita Francis
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Tina Arndt
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Christian Broman
- Experimental Traumatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum B8 Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Johansson
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Mattias K Sköld
- Experimental Traumatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum B8 Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Neuroscience, Section of Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Rising
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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10
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Dubini RCA, Jung H, Skidmore CH, Demirel MC, Rovó P. Hydration-Induced Structural Transitions in Biomimetic Tandem Repeat Proteins. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:2134-2145. [PMID: 33595326 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c11505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A major challenge in developing biomimetic, high-performance, and sustainable products is the accurate replication of the biological materials' striking properties, such as high strength, self-repair, and stimuli-responsiveness. The rationalization of such features on the microscopic scale, together with the rational design of synthetic materials, is currently hindered by our limited understanding of the sequence-structure-property relationship. Here, employing state-of-the-art nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we link the atomistic structural and dynamic properties of an artificial bioinspired tandem repeat protein TR(1,11) to its stunning macroscopic properties including high elasticity, self-healing capabilities, and record-holding proton conductivity among biological materials. We show that the hydration-induced structural rearrangement of the amorphous Gly-rich soft segment and the ordered Ala-rich hard segment is the key to the material's outstanding physical properties. We found that in the hydrated state both the Ala-rich ordered and Gly-rich disordered parts contribute to the formation of the nanoconfined β-sheets, thereby enhancing the strength and toughness of the material. This restructuring is accompanied by fast proline ring puckering and backbone cis-trans isomerization at the water-protein interface, which in turn enhances the elasticity and the thermal conductivity of the hydrated films. Our in-depth characterization provides a solid ground for the development of next-generation materials with improved properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romeo C A Dubini
- Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany.,Center for Nanoscience (CeNS), Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße 4, Fifth Floor, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Huihun Jung
- Center for Research on Advanced Fiber Technologies (CRAFT), Materials Research Institute, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, and Huck Institutes of Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Chloe H Skidmore
- Center for Research on Advanced Fiber Technologies (CRAFT), Materials Research Institute, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, and Huck Institutes of Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Melik C Demirel
- Center for Research on Advanced Fiber Technologies (CRAFT), Materials Research Institute, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, and Huck Institutes of Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Petra Rovó
- Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany.,Center for Nanoscience (CeNS), Faculty of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Schellingstraße 4, Fifth Floor, 80799 Munich, Germany
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11
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Johansson J, Rising A. Doing What Spiders Cannot-A Road Map to Supreme Artificial Silk Fibers. ACS NANO 2021; 15:1952-1959. [PMID: 33470789 PMCID: PMC7905870 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c08933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Fabricating artificial spider silk fibers in bulk scale has been a major goal in materials science for centuries. Two main routes have emerged for making such fibers. One method uses biomimetics in which the spider silk proteins (spidroins) are produced under nativelike conditions and then spun into fibers in a process that captures the natural, complex molecular mechanisms. However, these fibers do not yet match the mechanical properties of native silk fibers, potentially due to the small size of the designed spidroin used. The second route builds on biotechnological progress that enables production of large spidroins that can be spun into fibers by using organic solvents. With this approach, fibers that equal the native material in terms of mechanical properties can be manufactured, but the yields are too low for economically sustainable production. Hence, the need for new ideas is urgent. Herein, we introduce a structural-biology-based approach for engineering artificial spidroins that circumvents the laws with which spidroins, being secretory proteins, have to comply in order to avoid membrane insertion and provide a road map to the production of biomimetic silk fibers with improved mechanical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Johansson
- Department
of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska
Institutet, Neo, 14183 Huddinge, Sweden
- E-mail:
| | - Anna Rising
- Department
of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska
Institutet, Neo, 14183 Huddinge, Sweden
- Department
of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
- E-mail:
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12
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Arndt T, Laity PR, Johansson J, Holland C, Rising A. Native-like Flow Properties of an Artificial Spider Silk Dope. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2021; 7:462-471. [PMID: 33397078 PMCID: PMC7869106 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c01308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Recombinant
spider silk has emerged as a biomaterial that can circumvent
problems associated with synthetic and naturally derived polymers,
while still fulfilling the potential of the native material. The artificial
spider silk protein NT2RepCT can be produced and spun into fibers
without the use of harsh chemicals and here we evaluate key properties of NT2RepCT
dope at native-like concentrations. We show that NT2RepCT recapitulates
not only the overall secondary structure content of a native silk
dope but also emulates its viscoelastic rheological properties. We
propose that these properties are key to biomimetic spinning and that
optimization of rheological properties could facilitate successful
spinning of artificial dopes into fibers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Arndt
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge 141 52, Sweden
| | - Peter R Laity
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Johansson
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge 141 52, Sweden
| | - Chris Holland
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sir Robert Hadfield Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Rising
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Neo, Blickagången 16, Huddinge 141 52, Sweden.,Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala 750 07, Sweden
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13
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de C Bittencourt DM, Oliveira PF, Souto BM, de Freitas SM, Silva LP, Murad AM, Michalczechen-Lacerda VA, Lewis RV, Rech EL. Molecular Dynamics of Synthetic Flagelliform Silk Fiber Assembly. MACROMOLECULAR MATERIALS AND ENGINEERING 2021; 306:2000530. [PMID: 34539237 PMCID: PMC8445496 DOI: 10.1002/mame.202000530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In order to better understand the relationship between Flagelliform (Flag) spider silk molecular structural organization and the mechanisms of fiber assembly, it was designed and produced the Nephilengys cruentata Flag spidroin analogue rNcFlag2222. The recombinant proteins are composed by the elastic repetitive glycine-rich motifs (GPGGX/GGX) and the spacer region, rich in hydrophilic charged amino acids, present at the native silk spidroin. Using different approaches for nanomolecular protein analysis, the structural data of rNcFlag2222 recombinant proteins were compared in its fibrillar and in its fully solvated states. Based on the results was possible to identify the molecular structural dynamics of NcFlag2222 prior to and after fiber formation. Overal rNcFlag2222 shows a mixture of semiflexible and rigid conformations, characterized mostly by the presence of PPII, β-turn and β-sheet. These results agree with previous studies and bring insights about the molecular mechanisms that might driven Flag silk fibers assembly and elastomeric behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M de C Bittencourt
- Brazilian Agriculture Research Corporation - Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology CENARGEN, Parque Estação Biológica, PqEB, Av. W5 Norte (final), Brasília DF, 70770-917, Brazil
| | - Paula F Oliveira
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT, 84322-5305, US
| | - Betulia M Souto
- Brazilian Agriculture Research Corporation - Embrapa Agroenergy, STN - Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil
| | - Sonia M de Freitas
- Department of Cell Biology, Institute of BiologicDral Sciences, University of Brasilia, Campos Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, Brasilia, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Luciano P Silva
- Brazilian Agriculture Research Corporation - Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology CENARGEN, Parque Estação Biológica, PqEB, Av. W5 Norte (final), Brasília DF, 70770-917, Brazil
| | - Andre M Murad
- Brazilian Agriculture Research Corporation - Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology CENARGEN, Parque Estação Biológica, PqEB, Av. W5 Norte (final), Brasília DF, 70770-917, Brazil
| | - Valquiria A Michalczechen-Lacerda
- Brazilian Agriculture Research Corporation - Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology CENARGEN, Parque Estação Biológica, PqEB, Av. W5 Norte (final), Brasília DF, 70770-917, Brazil
| | - Randolph V Lewis
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan UT, 84322-5305, US
| | - Elibio L Rech
- Brazilian Agriculture Research Corporation - Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology CENARGEN, Parque Estação Biológica, PqEB, Av. W5 Norte (final), Brasília DF, 70770-917, Brazil
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14
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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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15
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Kaldmäe M, Leppert A, Chen G, Sarr M, Sahin C, Nordling K, Kronqvist N, Gonzalvo-Ulla M, Fritz N, Abelein A, Laίn S, Biverstål H, Jörnvall H, Lane DP, Rising A, Johansson J, Landreh M. High intracellular stability of the spidroin N-terminal domain in spite of abundant amyloidogenic segments revealed by in-cell hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry. FEBS J 2019; 287:2823-2833. [PMID: 31815338 PMCID: PMC7383493 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Proteins require an optimal balance of conformational flexibility and stability in their native environment to ensure their biological functions. A striking example is spidroins, spider silk proteins, which are stored at extremely high concentrations in soluble form, yet undergo amyloid-like aggregation during spinning. Here, we elucidate the stability of the highly soluble N-terminal domain (NT) of major ampullate spidroin 1 in the Escherichia coli cytosol as well as in inclusion bodies containing fibrillar aggregates. Surprisingly, we find that NT, despite being largely composed of amyloidogenic sequences, showed no signs of concentration-dependent aggregation. Using a novel intracellular hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) approach, we reveal that NT adopts a tight fold in the E. coli cytosol and in this manner conceals its aggregation-prone regions by maintaining a tight fold under crowded conditions. Fusion of NT to the unstructured amyloid-forming Aβ40 peptide, on the other hand, results in the formation of fibrillar aggregates. However, HDX-MS indicates that the NT domain is only partially incorporated into these aggregates in vivo. We conclude that NT is able to control its aggregation to remain functional under the extreme conditions in the spider silk gland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margit Kaldmäe
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solna, Sweden
| | - Axel Leppert
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Gefei Chen
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Medoune Sarr
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Cagla Sahin
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solna, Sweden
| | - Kerstin Nordling
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Nina Kronqvist
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Marta Gonzalvo-Ulla
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solna, Sweden.,Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Nicolas Fritz
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solna, Sweden
| | - Axel Abelein
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Sonia Laίn
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solna, Sweden
| | - Henrik Biverstål
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Physical Organic Chemistry, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Riga, Latvia
| | - Hans Jörnvall
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solna, Sweden
| | - David P Lane
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solna, Sweden
| | - Anna Rising
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.,Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jan Johansson
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Center for Alzheimer Research, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Michael Landreh
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solna, Sweden
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16
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Moseti KO, Yoshioka T, Kameda T, Nakazawa Y. Structure Water-Solubility Relationship in α-Helix-Rich Films Cast from Aqueous and 1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexafluoro-2-Propanol Solutions of S. c. ricini Silk Fibroin. Molecules 2019; 24:E3945. [PMID: 31683683 PMCID: PMC6864477 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24213945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Silk fibroin (SF) produced by the domesticated wild silkworm, Samia cynthia ricini (S. c. ricini) is attracting increasing interest owing to its unique mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and abundance in nature. However, its utilization is limited, largely due to lack of appropriate processing strategies. Various strategies have been assessed to regenerate cocoon SF, as well as the use of aqueous liquid fibroin (LFaq) prepared by dissolution of silk dope obtained from the silk glands of mature silkworm larvae in water. However, films cast from these fibroin solutions in water or organic solvents are often water-soluble and require post-treatment to render them water-stable. Here, we present a strategy for fabrication of water-stable films from S. c. ricini silk gland fibroin (SGF) without post-treatment. Aqueous ethanol induced gelation of fibroin in the posterior silk glands (PSG), enabling its separation from the rest of the silk gland. When dissolved in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP), the SGF-gel gave a solution from which a transparent, flexible, and water-insoluble film (SGFHFIP) was cast. Detailed structural characterization of the SGFHFIP as-cast film was carried out and compared to a conventional, water-soluble film cast from LFaq. FTIR and 13C solid-state NMR analyses revealed both cast films to be α-helix-rich. However, gelation of SGF induced by the 40%-EtOH-treatment resulted in an imperfect β-sheet structure. As a result, the SGF-gel was soluble in HFIP, but some β-sheet structural memory remains, and the SGFHFIP as-cast film obtained has some β-sheet content which renders it water-resistant. These results reveal a structure water-solubility relationship in S. c. ricini SF films that may offer useful insights towards tunable fabrication of novel biomaterials. A plausible model of the mechanism that leads to the difference in water resistance of the two kinds of α-helix-rich films is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelvin O Moseti
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
- Silk Materials Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan.
- National Sericulture Research Centre, Industrial Crops Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Thika P.O. Box 7816-01000, Kenya.
| | - Taiyo Yoshioka
- Silk Materials Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan.
| | - Tsunenori Kameda
- Silk Materials Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan.
| | - Yasumoto Nakazawa
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
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17
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Mohammadi P, Aranko AS, Landowski CP, Ikkala O, Jaudzems K, Wagermaier W, Linder MB. Biomimetic composites with enhanced toughening using silk-inspired triblock proteins and aligned nanocellulose reinforcements. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaaw2541. [PMID: 31548982 PMCID: PMC6744269 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw2541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Silk and cellulose are biopolymers that show strong potential as future sustainable materials. They also have complementary properties, suitable for combination in composite materials where cellulose would form the reinforcing component and silk the tough matrix. A major challenge concerns balancing structure and functional properties in the assembly process. We used recombinant proteins with triblock architecture, combining structurally modified spider silk with terminal cellulose affinity modules. Flow alignment of cellulose nanofibrils and triblock protein allowed continuous fiber production. Protein assembly involved phase separation into concentrated coacervates, with subsequent conformational switching from disordered structures into β sheets. This process gave the matrix a tough adhesiveness, forming a new composite material with high strength and stiffness combined with increased toughness. We show that versatile design possibilities in protein engineering enable new fully biological materials and emphasize the key role of controlled assembly at multiple length scales for realization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pezhman Mohammadi
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
- Corresponding author. (P.M.); (M.B.L.)
| | - A. Sesilja Aranko
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
| | | | - Olli Ikkala
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
- Department of Applied Physics, School of Science, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
| | - Kristaps Jaudzems
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, 1006 Riga, Latvia
- Department of Chemistry, University of Latvia, Jelgavas 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia
| | - Wolfgang Wagermaier
- Department of Biomaterials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, D 14424 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Markus B. Linder
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
- Corresponding author. (P.M.); (M.B.L.)
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18
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Oktaviani NA, Matsugami A, Hayashi F, Numata K. Ion effects on the conformation and dynamics of repetitive domains of a spider silk protein: implications for solubility and β-sheet formation. Chem Commun (Camb) 2019; 55:9761-9764. [PMID: 31355386 DOI: 10.1039/c9cc03538a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The effect of ions on the structure and dynamics of a spider silk protein is elucidated. Chaotropic ions prevent intra- and inter-molecular interactions on the repetitive domain, which are required to maintain the solubility, while kosmotropic ions promote hydrogen bond interactions in the glycine-rich region, which are a prerequisite for β-sheet formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Alia Oktaviani
- Biomacromolecules Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Scieences, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
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19
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Shang L, Yu Y, Liu Y, Chen Z, Kong T, Zhao Y. Spinning and Applications of Bioinspired Fiber Systems. ACS NANO 2019; 13:2749-2772. [PMID: 30768903 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b09651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Natural fiber systems provide inspirations for artificial fiber spinning and applications. Through a long process of trial and error, great progress has been made in recent years. The natural fiber itself, especially silks, and the formation mechanism are better understood, and some of the essential factors are implemented in artificial spinning methods, benefiting from advanced manufacturing technologies. In addition, fiber-based materials produced via bioinspired spinning methods find an increasingly wide range of biomedical, optoelectronic, and environmental engineering applications. This paper reviews recent developments in the spinning and application of bioinspired fiber systems, introduces natural fiber and spinning processes and artificial spinning methods, and discusses applications of artificial fiber materials. Views on remaining challenges and the perspective on future trends are also proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luoran Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering , Southeast University , Nanjing 210096 , China
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences , Harvard University , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02138 , United States
| | - Yunru Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering , Southeast University , Nanjing 210096 , China
| | - Yuxiao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering , Southeast University , Nanjing 210096 , China
| | - Zhuoyue Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering , Southeast University , Nanjing 210096 , China
| | - Tiantian Kong
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Biomedical Measurements and Ultrasound Imaging, Department of Biomedical Engineering , Shenzhen University , Shenzhen 518060 , China
| | - Yuanjin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering , Southeast University , Nanjing 210096 , China
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20
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Conformation and dynamics of soluble repetitive domain elucidates the initial β-sheet formation of spider silk. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2121. [PMID: 29844575 PMCID: PMC5974136 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04570-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The β-sheet is the key structure underlying the excellent mechanical properties of spider silk. However, the comprehensive mechanism underlying β-sheet formation from soluble silk proteins during the transition into insoluble stable fibers has not been elucidated. Notably, the assembly of repetitive domains that dominate the length of the protein chains and structural features within the spun fibers has not been clarified. Here we determine the conformation and dynamics of the soluble precursor of the repetitive domain of spider silk using solution-state NMR, far-UV circular dichroism and vibrational circular dichroism. The soluble repetitive domain contains two major populations: ~65% random coil and ~24% polyproline type II helix (PPII helix). The PPII helix conformation in the glycine-rich region is proposed as a soluble prefibrillar region that subsequently undergoes intramolecular interactions. These findings unravel the mechanism underlying the initial step of β-sheet formation, which is an extremely rapid process during spider silk assembly. β-sheet structure underlies the mechanical properties of spider silk but the mechanism to form β-sheet from soluble silk protein during transition into insoluble fibers has not been elucidated. Here the authors unravel the mechanism of β-sheet formation using NMR and circular dichroism spectroscopy.
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21
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Zhou Y, Rising A, Johansson J, Meng Q. Production and Properties of Triple Chimeric Spidroins. Biomacromolecules 2018; 19:2825-2833. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.8b00402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yizhong Zhou
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People’s Republic of China
| | - Anna Rising
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Johansson
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Qing Meng
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People’s Republic of China
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