F Vollrath

..In this paper, the possibility that other transversely banded fibrillar proteins are also LCEs is discussed...

..We argue that both trade-offs (between mechanical properties) and constraints (in the manufacturing process) have a large role in defining spider silk fibres...

..We argue that bees can be employed profitably to protect not only selected trees, but also selected areas, from elephant damage...

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..This observation opens the door to using polymer theory to clarify our general understanding of natural silks, despite the many specializations found in different animal species...

..postica seems to balance both. We conclude that comparative studies provide valuable baseline information for future biomimetic applications and modeling, as well as illuminating biologically important details of silk processing...

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..This pilot study provides some insight into mechanisms that might contribute to the failure of repair surgery, and with future application could help direct the most appropriate treatment for specific rotator cuff tears...

..Thus, we can demonstrate an inherent simplicity at a macromolecular level in the design principles of natural materials. This surprising observation allows in depth comparison of natural with man-made materials...

..Together, these observations indicate that the spider silk production pathway is highly optimised for the production of silk threads and shows considerable biomimetic potential...

..The most important difference is that spiders produce a tough material by unfolding and hydrogen-bonding their silk dope molecules while Selachian fish do it by covalently cross-linking the molecules without unfolding them...

..Measurements of draw stress at different draw rates during silking confirm that a stress-induced phase transition occurs...

..Thus precise control of the ionic environment within the spider's spinning duct may be important in forming a tough insoluble thread and when devising mimetic processes to spin silk proteins industrially...

..Taken together, our biophysical and evolutionary findings reveal that silk elastomericity evolved in tandem with specializations in the process of silk spinning...

..Changing the solvent polarity showed that HFIP and TFE induced formation of stable helical forms whereas MeOH, EtOH and IsoP induced a kinetically driven formation of beta-sheet rich structure...

..This suggests that these elephant rumbles may function as referential signals, in which a formant frequency shift alerts nearby elephants about an external threat, in this case, the threat of bees...

..We propose that this tool will provide further insight into not only silk but any biopolymer solution, opening a new window into biological materials...

..We discuss the implication of these results in the spinning process and a possible mechanism for temperature-induced beta-sheet formation...

..We discuss the importance of these findings for the spinning process and the active role played by the spider to alter the kinetics of the transition...

..Specifically we analyze, in a series of example studies on structural transitions induced in liquid silk, the type of information accessible from this technique and any artifacts that might arise in studying self-assembling systems...

..An argument can be made that silk is optimised for a wide range of conditions rather than maximised for strength or toughness. Moreover, it seems that the spider is able to induce rapid and temporary adaptations of silk properties...

..Our study corroborates the view that proline-containing motifs contribute to the elasticity of not only spider silks, but also other bioelastomers...

..Furthermore, the histopathological images recorded after 14 days revealed no marked differences between the dressings. Polyurethane films, however, seemed to be superior with respect to the duration of the wound healing process...

..This is achieved by the combination of an initial internal draw down, well inside the duct, and a final draw down, after the silk has left the spigot. The spinning mechanism in Loxosceles may be more ancestral...

..The solution could also be converted to sol from the gel state by the addition of EDTA. The possible mechanisms for gel formation in fibroin solutions is discussed as are the implications for the process of spinning silk fibers...

..Some spiders use glues while others deploy strands of fine filaments for fixing flies. Recent work has provided new insights into the mechanical properties of these nano-scale ropes...

..Since in very narrow frames the spider adjusted the auxiliary to suit the subsequent capture spiral, we suggest that an initial spatial survey led to the final adaptation of overall web geometry to a web site...

..The approach described is rapid and has the potential to be used peri-operatively to determine the quality of the tendon and the extent of the disease, thus guiding surgical repair...

..Our results indicate how chemical compositions, coupled with processing conditions, shape the mechanical properties of the spider silk...

..Spectra for calf thymus DNA, DNA/ethidium bromide, and DNA/4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole systems illustrate the quality of data that can be obtained...

..Furthermore, caffeine caused webs to be rounder. Our observations suggest that these neurotoxins disturb different parts of the web-building programme presumably by affecting different actions in the spider's CNS...

..We discuss the possible significance of these findings to an understanding of the way that spiders spin silk...

..Here we review fiber formation and its prerequisites, and discuss the mechanism by which the animal facilitates and modulates silk assembly to achieve controlled protein aggregation...

..We also propose that spider silk could be a valuable model system for testing hypotheses concerning beta-sheet formation in other fibrilogenic systems, including amyloids...

..Thus, we provide, for the first time, a quantitative map of the pH value and position correlated with molecular structural folding in the silk gland characterizing the crucial role that pH plays in spider silk formation...

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..We suggest that silkworms might be able to produce threads that compare well with spider silk by changing their spinning habits, rather than by having their silk genes altered...

..Long CO(2) exposure reduces the axial alignment of nanofibrils, presumably due to a partial destruction of the amorphous network...

..Taken together these findings indicate that copper could play a role in the natural spinning process in silkworms...

..We present a single coherent and detailed hypothesis for the assembly and secondary structural transition of silk proteins in vivo and in vitro based on our findings and on evidence from other laboratories...

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..Depending on the preparation, some silk material readily underwent degradation, and polypeptides down to 20 kDa in size and less were detectable...

..Special sequence parts endow the C-termini with the capability to promote both the solubility and aggregation of the fibroins depending on the environmental conditions...

..This review aims to link recent molecular data, often translated into amino acid sequences and predicted three dimensional structural motifs, to known mechanical properties...

..This interaction reveals design principles linking the exceptional properties of silk to its molecular orientation...

..Variation in diet, quantified by using stable isotopes, can offer insight into diet-related wildlife behavior...

..Our findings shed new light on the structural components of spider dragline silk, allowing further elucidation of their assembly properties, which may open the door for commercial applications...

..a. gland is dynamically disordered throughout the molecule in the sense that each amino acid of a given type senses an identical environment, on average. The NMR data obtained are consistent with an isotropic liquid phase...

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