Researchers at Northwestern University and San Diego State University unveiled the complex process of how black widow spiders turn proteins into steel fibers, which could help scientists create high-strength synthetic materials.
Black Widow Spider and Widow Spider species are native to the temperate climates of North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and South America. The spider silk produced is a material with special properties.
Scientists have long known the structure of the main amino acid sequences, fibers, and webs that make up spider silk proteins. Previous studies have suggested that spider silk proteins, as nano-sized amphiphilic spherical micelles (water-soluble and water-insoluble clusters), are waiting to be spun into silk fibers before they are formed by the funnel of the spider spinning device. However, when scientists tried to artificially synthesize steel fibers by following this process, they were unable to produce a synthetic material with the strength and performance of natural spider silk fibers.
Northwestern University researcher Nathan C. Gianneschi said: The knowledge gap is there, and we have no idea what is happening at the nanoscale of silk glands or spinal tubes? The storage, transformation, and transportation processes designed for the conversion of proteins into fibers must also be studied. "
Spider silk is produced in a specialized protein gland in the arachnid's abdomen, and it takes a series of complex chemical processes to convert the protein into rigid fibers. The research team used two of the most advanced imaging techniques to study spider protein glands, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and electron microscopy. The research team was able to look more closely at the protein glands from which the internal silk fibers originated, revealing a more complex and hierarchical protein combination.
The study was published online October 22 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used at San Diego State University, followed by electron microscopy (EM) testing at Northwestern University. The research team combined advanced detection techniques to more closely look at the protein glands of the inner silk fiber origin, revealing more complex and layered protein assemblies.
This "improved micelle theory" concludes that spider silk proteins do not start as simple spherical micelles as previously thought, but start as complex complex micelles. This unique structure may require steel fibers used to make black widow spiders.
"We now know that black widow spider silk is spun from molecularly stored proteins in spiders' abdomen from molecular nanocomponents (200 to 500 nanometers in diameter), rather than separated from a random solution of individual proteins or simple spherical particles," Holland said.
"In other words, materials like this can be practically used in a variety of applications, including high-performance textiles for military, first aid and athletes; cable trays and other building materials; environmentally friendly plastic alternatives; biomedical applications," said Holland. . "
"We cannot overstate the potential impact on materials and engineering if we can fully artificially simulate this natural process," said Giannischi, deputy director of the International Institute of Nanotechnology, a member of the Simpson Inquiry Institute and the Northwest Institute of Life Process Chemistry. Mass production of man-made fibers. Simply put, this will be transformative. "