Journal ArticleDOI
Silk Properties Determined by Gland-Specific Expression of a Spider Fibroin Gene Family
TLDR
A gene family from the spider Araneus diadematus was found to encode silk-forming proteins (fibroins) with different proportions of amorphous glycine-rich domains and crystal domains built from poly(alanine) and poly(glycine-alanine), which allows for a range of mechanical properties according to the crystal-forming potential of the constituent fibroins.Abstract:
Spiders produce a variety of silks that range from Lycra-like elastic fibers to Kevlar-like superfibers. A gene family from the spider Araneus diadematus was found to encode silk-forming proteins (fibroins) with different proportions of amorphous glycine-rich domains and crystal domains built from poly(alanine) and poly(glycine-alanine) repeat motifs. Spiders produce silks of different composition by gland-specific expression of this gene family, which allows for a range of mechanical properties according to the crystal-forming potential of the constituent fibroins. These principles of fiber property control may be important in the development of genetically engineered structural proteins.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Silk-based biomaterials
Gregory H. Altman,Frank Diaz,Caroline M. Jakuba,Tara Calabro,Rebecca L. Horan,Jingsong Chen,Helen H. Lu,John C. Richmond,David L. Kaplan +8 more
TL;DR: Studies with well-defined silkworm silk fibers and films suggest that the core silk fibroin fibers exhibit comparable biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo with other commonly used biomaterials such as polylactic acid and collagen.
Journal ArticleDOI
Liquid crystalline spinning of spider silk.
Fritz Vollrath,David P. Knight +1 more
TL;DR: Successful copying of the spider's internal processing and precise control over protein folding, combined with knowledge of the gene sequences of its spinning dopes, could permit industrial production of silk-based fibres with unique properties under benign conditions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Biomimetic materials for tissue engineering.
TL;DR: Current biomimetic materials approaches in tissue engineering include synthesis to achieve certain compositions or properties similar to those of the extracellular matrix, novel processing technologies to achieve structural features mimicking the ext racellular matrix on various levels, and biologic delivery strategies to recapitulate a signaling cascade or developmental/wound healing program.
Journal ArticleDOI
Elastomeric biomaterials for tissue engineering
TL;DR: This article provides a comprehensive review on the elastomeric biomaterials used in tissue engineering, with emphasis on the most important candidates to date.
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Scaffolds for tissue fabrication
TL;DR: In this article, the most frequently used materials and fabrication technologies for scaffolds are reviewed and some exciting new developments in scaffold materials are also discussed, and important scaffold design principles are described.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Single-step method of RNA isolation by acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction
TL;DR: A new method of total RNA isolation by a single extraction with an acid guanidinium thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform mixture is described, providing a pure preparation of undegraded RNA in high yield and can be completed within 4 h.
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Extracellular matrix 4: the elastic fiber.
TL;DR: Analysis of the elastin gene has demonstrated that hydrophobic and cross‐linking domains are encoded in separate exons and that there is significant alternative splicing, resulting in multiple isoforms of tropoelastin.
Journal ArticleDOI
The structure and properties of spider silk
TL;DR: In this article, the structure and properties of silks are matched to their mechanical function to increase the general understanding of structure-property relationships in fibrous polymers, and the results showed that these properties can be used to improve the structural properties of polymers.
Journal ArticleDOI
Molecular Orientation and Two-Component Nature of the Crystalline Fraction of Spider Dragline Silk
TL;DR: Solid-state 2H nuclear magnetic resonance data from unoriented, oriented, and supercontracted fibers suggest that it will be necessary to control the secondary structure of individual polymer molecules in order to obtain optimum properties in bio-inspired polymers.
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