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Blamires SJ, Rawal A, Edwards AD, Yarger JL, Oberst S, Allardyce BJ, Rajkhowa R. Methods for Silk Property Analyses across Structural Hierarchies and Scales. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28052120. [PMID: 36903366 PMCID: PMC10003856 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28052120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Silk from silkworms and spiders is an exceptionally important natural material, inspiring a range of new products and applications due to its high strength, elasticity, and toughness at low density, as well as its unique conductive and optical properties. Transgenic and recombinant technologies offer great promise for the scaled-up production of new silkworm- and spider-silk-inspired fibres. However, despite considerable effort, producing an artificial silk that recaptures the physico-chemical properties of naturally spun silk has thus far proven elusive. The mechanical, biochemical, and other properties of pre-and post-development fibres accordingly should be determined across scales and structural hierarchies whenever feasible. We have herein reviewed and made recommendations on some of those practices for measuring the bulk fibre properties; skin-core structures; and the primary, secondary, and tertiary structures of silk proteins and the properties of dopes and their proteins. We thereupon examine emerging methodologies and make assessments on how they might be utilized to realize the goal of developing high quality bio-inspired fibres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean J. Blamires
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
- Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
- School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
- Correspondence:
| | - Aditya Rawal
- Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Angela D. Edwards
- School of Molecular Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1604, USA
| | - Jeffrey L. Yarger
- School of Molecular Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1604, USA
| | - Sebastian Oberst
- School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | | | - Rangam Rajkhowa
- Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
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Biocompatible Optical Fibers Made of Regenerated Cellulose and Recombinant Cellulose-Binding Spider Silk. Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:biomimetics8010037. [PMID: 36648823 PMCID: PMC9844472 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8010037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The fabrication of green optical waveguides based on cellulose and spider silk might allow the processing of novel biocompatible materials. Regenerated cellulose fibers are used as the core and recombinantly produced spider silk proteins eADF4(C16) as the cladding material. A detected delamination between core and cladding could be circumvented by using a modified spider silk protein with a cellulose-binding domain-enduring permanent adhesion between the cellulose core and the spider silk cladding. The applied spider silk materials were characterized optically, and the theoretical maximum data rate was determined. The results show optical waveguide structures promising for medical applications, for example, in the future.
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E HP, Kong JAN, Chen WC, Chen CC, Cheng CH, Liu CY. Biocompatible spider silk-based metal-dielectric fiber optic sugar sensor. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2022; 13:4483-4493. [PMID: 36187244 PMCID: PMC9484428 DOI: 10.1364/boe.462573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Various optical components employed in biomedical applications have been fabricated using spider silk because of its superior properties, such as elasticity, tensile strength, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. In this study, a highly sensitive fiber optic sugar sensor is fabricated using metal-nanolayer-coated spider silk. The spider silk, which is directly collected from Nephila pilipes, a giant wood spider, is naturally a protein-based biopolymer with great flexibility, low attenuation, and easy functionalization. The surface of the spider silk-based fiber is coated with a metal nano-layer by using the glancing angle deposition technique. This fiber optic sugar sensor is based on the principle of the change in the refractive indices of sugar solutions. The attained experimental results show that the proposed sugar sensor is highly sensitive in the detection of fructose, sucrose, and glucose concentrations. This work may provide a new way to realize precise and sensitive online sugar measurements for point-of-care diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsuan-Pei E
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei City 11221, Taiwan
| | | | - Wei-Chun Chen
- Taiwan Instrument Research Institute, National Applied Research Laboratories, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan
| | - Che-Chin Chen
- Taiwan Instrument Research Institute, National Applied Research Laboratories, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Hsiung Cheng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Yang Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei City 11221, Taiwan
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Photonic Nanojet Modulation Achieved by a Spider-Silk-Based Metal–Dielectric Dome Microlens. PHOTONICS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/photonics8080334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The photonic nanojet is a non-resonance focusing phenomenon with high intensity and narrow spot that can serve as a powerful biosensor for in vivo detection of red blood cells, micro-organisms, and tumor cells in blood. In this study, we first demonstrated photonic nanojet modulation by utilizing a spider-silk-based metal–dielectric dome microlens. A cellar spider was employed in extracting the silk fiber, which possesses a liquid-collecting ability to form a dielectric dome microlens. The metal casing on the surface of the dielectric dome was coated by using a glancing angle deposition technique. Due to the nature of surface plasmon polaritons, the characteristics of photonic nanojets are strongly modulated by different metal casings. Numerical and experimental results showed that the intensity of the photonic nanojet was increased by a factor of three for the gold-coated dome microlens due to surface plasmon resonance. The spider-silk-based metal-dielectric dome microlens could be used to scan a biological target for large-area imaging with a conventional optical microscope.
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Gong Z, Wu T, Chen X, Guo J, Zhang Y, Li Y. Upconversion Nanoparticle Decorated Spider Silks as Single-Cell Thermometers. NANO LETTERS 2021; 21:1469-1476. [PMID: 33476159 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c04644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Noninvasive and sensitive thermometry of a single living cell is crucial to the analysis of fundamental cellular processes and applications to cancer diagnosis. Optical fibers decorated with temperature-sensitive nanomaterials have become widely used instruments for biosensing temperature. However, current silica fibers exhibit low compatibility and degradability in biosystems. In this work, we employ spider silks as natural optical fibers to construct biocompatible thermometers. The spider silks were drawn directly from Araneus ventricosus and were decorated with core-shell upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) via a photophoretic effect. By measuring the fluorescence spectra of the UCNPs on the spider silks, the membrane temperature of a single breast cancer cell was obtained with absolute and relative sensitivities ranging from 3.3 to 4.5 × 10-3 K-1 and 0.2 to 0.8% K-1, respectively. Additionally, the temperature variation during apoptosis was monitored by the thermometer in real time. This work provides a biocompatible tool for precise biosensing and single-cell analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyong Gong
- Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Tianli Wu
- Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Xixi Chen
- Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Jinghui Guo
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Yao Zhang
- Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Yuchao Li
- Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
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Blamires SJ, Little DJ, White TE, Kane DM. Photoreflectance/scattering measurements of spider silks informed by standard optics. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:192174. [PMID: 32431892 PMCID: PMC7211891 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.192174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The silks of certain orb weaving spiders are emerging as high-quality optical materials. This motivates study of the optical properties of such silk and particularly the comparative optical properties of the silks of different species. Any differences in optical properties may impart biological advantage for a spider species and make the silks interesting for biomimetic prospecting as optical materials. A prior study of the reflectance of spider silks from 18 species reported results for three species of modern orb weaving spiders (Nephila clavipes, Argiope argentata and Micrathena Schreibersi) as having reduced reflectance in the UV range. (Modern in the context used here means more recently derived.) The reduced UV reflectance was interpreted as an adaptive advantage in making the silks less visible to insects. Herein, a standard, experimental technique for measuring the reflectance spectrum of diffuse surfaces, using commercially available equipment, has been applied to samples of the silks of four modern species of orb weaving spiders: Phonognatha graeffei, Eriophora transmarina, Nephila plumipes and Argiope keyserlingi. This is a different technique than used in the previous study. Three of the four silks measured have a reduced signal in the UV. By taking the form of the silks as optical elements into account, it is shown that this is attributable to a combination of wavelength-dependent absorption and scattering by the silks rather than differences in reflectance for the different silks. Phonognatha graeffei dragline silk emerges as a very interesting spider silk with a flat 'reflectance'/scattering spectrum which may indicate it is a low UV absorbing dielectric micro-fibre. Overall the measurement emerges as having the potential to compare the large numbers of silks from different species to prospect for those which have desirable optical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean J. Blamires
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biology, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, UNSWSydney NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Douglas J. Little
- Macquarie University Photonics Research Centre and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Thomas E. White
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Deb M. Kane
- Macquarie University Photonics Research Centre and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia
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Blamires SJ, Cerexhe G, White TE, Herberstein ME, Kasumovic MM. Spider silk colour covaries with thermal properties but not protein structure. J R Soc Interface 2019; 16:20190199. [PMID: 31362622 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2019.0199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how and why animal secretions vary in property has important biomimetic implications as desirable properties might covary. Spider major ampullate (MA) silk, for instance, is a secretion earmarked for biomimetic applications, but many of its properties vary among and between species across environments. Here, we tested the hypothesis that MA silk colour, protein structure and thermal properties covary when protein uptake is manipulated in the spider Trichonephila plumipes. We collected silk from adult female spiders maintained on a protein-fed or protein-deprived diet. Based on spectrophotometric quantifications, we classified half the silks as 'bee visible' and the other half 'bee invisible'. Wide angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry were then used to assess the silk's protein structure and thermal properties, respectively. We found that although protein structures and thermal properties varied across our treatments only the thermal properties covaried with colour. This ultimately suggests that protein structure alone is not responsible for MA silk thermal properties, nor does it affect silk colours. We speculate that similar ecological factors act on silk colour and thermal properties, which should be uncovered to inform biomimetic programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean J Blamires
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences E26, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia.,Department of Biological Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Georgia Cerexhe
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences E26, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
| | - Thomas E White
- Department of Biological Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia.,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Macleay (A12), Room 208, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Marie E Herberstein
- Department of Biological Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Michael M Kasumovic
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences E26, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
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Lin CB, Huang ZH, Liu CY. Formation of high-quality photonic nanojets by decorating spider silk. OPTICS LETTERS 2019; 44:667-670. [PMID: 30702706 DOI: 10.1364/ol.44.000667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The photonic nanojet is a highly concentrated beam with low divergence on the shadow side of dielectric microparticles. In this Letter, we first theoretically and experimentally investigate the formation of high-quality photonic nanojets by decorating spider silk. The dragline silks are directly extracted from cellar spiders and capable of efficiently collecting ultraviolet cure adhesive. The liquid-collecting capacity of the captured silk is the result of a singular fiber structure with periodic spindle knots. Using a scanning-optical-microscope system, we show that high-quality photonic nanojets are generated by silk fiber with spindle knots. With the variation in spindle-knot dimensions, the properties of photonic nanojets, such as intensity distribution, focal length, and full width at half-maximum, are able to tune flexibly. By combining the unique biocompatibility, flexibility, and tensile strength, the silk filaments with spindle knots pave a potential way for original bio-photonic applications.
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Silk micrococoons for protein stabilisation and molecular encapsulation. Nat Commun 2017; 8:15902. [PMID: 28722016 PMCID: PMC5524934 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Naturally spun silks generate fibres with unique properties, including strength, elasticity and biocompatibility. Here we describe a microfluidics-based strategy to spin liquid native silk, obtained directly from the silk gland of Bombyx mori silkworms, into micron-scale capsules with controllable geometry and variable levels of intermolecular β-sheet content in their protein shells. We demonstrate that such micrococoons can store internally the otherwise highly unstable liquid native silk for several months and without apparent effect on its functionality. We further demonstrate that these native silk micrococoons enable the effective encapsulation, storage and release of other aggregation-prone proteins, such as functional antibodies. These results show that native silk micrococoons are capable of preserving the full activity of sensitive cargo proteins that can aggregate and lose function under conditions of bulk storage, and thus represent an attractive class of materials for the storage and release of active biomolecules. Silk fibres currently used in biotechnology are chemically reconstituted silk fibroins (RSF), which are more stable than native silk fibroin (NSF) but possess different biophysical properties. Here, the authors use microfluidic droplets to encapsulate and store NSF, preserving their native structure.
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Monks JN, Yan B, Hawkins N, Vollrath F, Wang Z. Spider Silk: Mother Nature's Bio-Superlens. NANO LETTERS 2016; 16:5842-5. [PMID: 27531579 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b02641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
It was recently discovered that transparent microspheres and cylinders can function as a super-resolution lens (i.e., superlens) to focus light beyond the diffraction limit. A number of high-resolution applications based on these lenses have been successfully demonstrated and span nanoscopy, imaging, and spectroscopy. Fabrication of these superlenses, however, is often complex and requires sophisticated engineering processes. Clearly an easier model candidate, such as a naturally occurring superlens, is highly desirable. Here, we report for the first time a biological superlens provided by nature: the minor ampullate spider silk spun from the Nephila spider. This natural biosuperlens can distinctly resolve 100 nm features under a conventional white-light microscope with peak wavelength at 600 nm, attaining a resolution of λ/6 that is well beyond the classical limit. Thus, our work opens a new door to develop biology-based optical systems that may provide a new solution to integrating optics in biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- James N Monks
- School of Electronic Engineering, Bangor University , LL57 1UT, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Bing Yan
- School of Electronic Engineering, Bangor University , LL57 1UT, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas Hawkins
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford , OX1 3PS, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Fritz Vollrath
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford , OX1 3PS, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Zengbo Wang
- School of Electronic Engineering, Bangor University , LL57 1UT, Bangor, United Kingdom
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Niskanen I, Hibino K, Räty J. Immersion liquid techniques in solid particle characterization: A review. Talanta 2016; 149:225-236. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2015.11.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Revised: 11/16/2015] [Accepted: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Little DJ, Kane DM. Subdiffraction-limited radius measurements of microcylinders using conventional bright-field optical microscopy. OPTICS LETTERS 2014; 39:5196-5199. [PMID: 25166108 DOI: 10.1364/ol.39.005196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
A technique for measuring the radius of dielectric microcylinders with subdiffraction-limited precision is presented. Diffraction fringes arising from the dielectric cylinder are measured using conventional bright-field optical microscopy and compared with theory to deduce the radii. The technique has been demonstrated measuring the radii of the major-ampullate silks from Plebs eburnus spiders. Precision better than 50 nm is demonstrated, using a standard optical microscope with a numerical aperture of 0.6 for the objective. Accuracy was verified using scanning electron microscopy. This technique will facilitate rapid, precise measurement of dielectric microcylinder radii, enabling a new optical-microscopy-based measurement approach for these challenging micro-optics.
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