Sequence Variations in Spider Dragline Silk Proteins

[9806999lewis]本研究的长期目标是通过揭示天然蜘蛛丝蛋白的结构-功能关系及其材料特性，为仿生大壶状丝的设计制定策略。这将通过两个主要目标来实现。首先，研究了不同蜘蛛种壶腹丝主要基因的核苷酸和氨基酸序列差异。第二个目标是研究固体纤维中蛋白质的结构，以了解是什么提供了弹性和强度特性。这些数据将为构建具有设计性能的第二代蜘蛛丝生物材料提供依据。几个世纪以来，天然材料一直是我们文化的一部分，但直到最近几年，对这些材料的研究才达到分子水平。对生物材料的深入了解导致了仿生学的新领域。引起人们极大兴趣的一种材料是蜘蛛丝。与其他天然或人造纤维相比，蜘蛛丝纤维具有许多独特的性能。几乎所有关于蜘蛛丝的应用研究都集中在主要壶腹丝及其军事和工业潜力上。这种材料的抗拉强度超过30000psi，延伸率接近35%。这两个因素使它成为有史以来最坚硬的材料之一。这些独特的性能在纤维、薄膜和复合材料中具有广阔的应用前景。毫无疑问，蜘蛛丝作为一种生物材料的发展将对社会产生重大影响。这些新材料将提供许多新产品以及对现有产品的改进。这些产品将是纤维、薄膜和以蜘蛛丝为主要成分的复合材料。研究人员已经采取了一些必要的步骤，但这项提议所产生的信息将大大提高生产主要壶形丝作为生物材料的能力，并成为开发具有设计机械性能的合成丝类似物的基础。

9806999LewisThe long-term goal of this proposed research is to develop strategies for the design of biomimetic major ampullate silk by uncovering the structure-function relationships of naturally ocurring spider silk proteins and their materials properties. This will be accomplished through two major objectives. First, the nucleotide and amino acid sequence variation in major ampullate silk genes among divergent spider species will be characterized. The second objective is to study the structure of the proteins in the solid fiber to understand what provides the elastic and strength properties. These data will provide the basis for construction of second generation spider silk biomaterials with properties designed into them.Natural materials have been a part of our culture for centuries but only in the past few years has the study of these materials reached the molecular level. This deeper understanding of biological materials has led to the new field of biomimetics. One of the materials which has generated considerable interest is spider silk. Spider silk fibers possess a numbrr of unique properties when compared to other natural or manmade fibers. Almost all the applied research on spider silk has focused on major ampullate silk and its military and industrial potential. This material has a tensile strength in excess of 300,000 psi and an extension approaching 35%. This two factors make it one of the toughest materials ever tested. These unique properties suggest promising applications in fibers, films and composite materials. There is no question that the development of spider silk as a biomaterial will have a substantial impact on society. These new materials would provide a number of new products as well as improvements on current ones. These products will be fibers, films and composites with spider silk as the key component. The investigators have taken some of the necessary steps but the information generated by this proposal will substantially enhance the ability to produce major ampullate silk as a biometerial as well as be the basis for developing synthetic silk analogs with designed mechanical properties.