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Modelling self assembly of natural silk solutions
1Department of Biochemistry, Stockholm Bioinformatics Center, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden. chefnb@sbc.su.se
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
|September 6, 2003
Summary
Natural silk fibroin solutions exhibit liquid crystalline order, potentially aiding in the spinning process. This order
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Materials Science
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Natural silk fibroin solutions, particularly from spiders and silkworms, display nematic liquid crystalline order.
- This liquid crystalline behavior is hypothesized to be crucial for the silk spinning process.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose an interpretation for the origin of nematic liquid crystalline order in silk fibroin.
- To investigate the influence of physiological conditions and fibroin amino acid sequence on the liquid crystalline phase diagram.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the liquid crystalline phase diagram of silk fibroin solutions.
- Examination of the response to equilibrium physiological conditions.
- Assessment of parameters related to the fibroin amino acid sequence.
Main Results:
- The liquid crystalline phase diagram is sensitive to physiological conditions.
- Fibroin sequence mutations significantly alter the phase diagram.
- The phase diagram's sensitivity suggests a role in evolutionary selection.
Conclusions:
- Nematic liquid crystalline order in silk fibroin likely originates from its molecular properties and physiological environment.
- Liquid crystalline rheology is a key factor exploited during silk spinning.
- The sensitivity of the phase diagram to sequence variations may drive evolutionary adaptation in silk properties.