The mechanical design of spider silks: from fibroin sequence to mechanical function

1999/12/01 by John M. Gosline, J. M. Gosline, P. A. Guerette +5 · 29 citations
Materials Science · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Silk-based biomaterials and applications #Biochemical and Structural Characterization #Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies

paper · doi:10.1242/jeb.202.23.3295

Abstract

Spiders produce a variety of silks, and the cloning of genes for silk fibroins reveals a clear link between protein sequence and structure-property relationships. The fibroins produced in the spider's major ampullate (MA) gland, which forms the dragline and web frame, contain multiple repeats of motifs that include an 8-10 residue long poly-alanine block and a 24-35 residue long glycine-rich block. When fibroins are spun into fibres, the poly-alanine blocks form (&bgr;)-sheet crystals that crosslink the fibroins into a polymer network with great stiffness, strength and toughness. As illustrated by a comparison of MA silks from Araneus diadematus and Nephila clavipes, variation in fibroin sequence and properties between spider species provides the opportunity to investigate the design of these remarkable biomaterials.

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