Elastic proteins: biological roles and mechanical properties
Elastic proteins: biological roles and mechanical properties
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DOI：
10.1098/rstb.2001.1022
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发表时间：
2002-02-28
影响因子：
6.3
通讯作者：
Savage, K
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gosline, J;Lillie, M;Savage, K
术语“弹性蛋白”适用于许多具有不同功能和机械特性的结构蛋白质，因此其含义存在混淆的空间。弹性意味着弹性的性质，或可逆变形而不损失能量的能力;因此弹性蛋白质应该具有高弹性。弹性的另一个含义是“拉伸”，或者用很小的力就能变形到很大的应变。因此，弹性蛋白质应该具有低刚度。高弹性、大应变和低刚度的组合是橡胶样蛋白质（例如节枝弹性蛋白和弹性蛋白）的特征，其在弹性应变能量的存储中起作用。其他弹性蛋白发挥着非常不同的作用，具有非常不同的特性。胶原蛋白纤维提供特殊的能量储存能力，但不是很有弹性。贻贝足丝和蜘蛛拖丝也是弹性蛋白，因为尽管它们具有相当大的强度和刚度，但它们具有显著的弹性。强度和延展性的结合，加上低弹性，使这些材料具有令人印象深刻的抗断裂性（即韧性），这种特性使贻贝能够在海浪中生存，蜘蛛能够建造精致的空气过滤器。鉴于这种性质和功能的范围，弹性蛋白质可能会提供丰富的化学结构和弹性机制，可以通过生物技术在新型结构材料中加以利用。
The term 'elastic protein' applies to many structural proteins with diverse functions and mechanical properties so there is room for confusion about its meaning. Elastic implies the property of elasticity, or the ability to deform reversibly without loss of energy; so elastic proteins should have high resilience. Another meaning for elastic is 'stretchy', or the ability to be deformed to large strains with little force. Thus, elastic proteins should have low stiffness. The combination of high resilience, large strains and low stiffness is characteristic of rubber-like proteins (e.g. resilin and elastin) that function in the storage of elastic-strain energy. Other elastic proteins play very different roles and have very different properties. Collagen fibres provide exceptional energy storage capacity but are not very stretchy. Mussel byssus threads and spider dragline silks are also elastic proteins because, in spite of their considerable strength and stiffness, they are remarkably stretchy. The combination of strength and extensibility, together with low resilience, gives these materials an impressive resistance to fracture (i.e. toughness), a property that allows mussels to survive crashing waves and spiders to build exquisite aerial filters. Given this range of properties and functions, it is probable that elastic proteins will provide a wealth of chemical structures and elastic mechanisms that can be exploited in novel structural materials through biotechnology.