IN SITU SAXS STUDY OF SILK FIBER FORMATION IN A MICROFLUIDIC ENVIRONMENT

微流体环境中丝纤维形成的原位 SAXS 研究

• 批准号: 8362353
• 负责人: ANNE MARTEL
• 金额: $ 0.03万
• 依托单位: STANFORD UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-03-01 至 2012-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8362353
• 关键词: Biopolymers; Calcium; Cations; Characteristics; Comprehension; Copper; Environment; Evolution; Fiber; Fibroins; Funding; Grant; In Situ; Measurement; Mechanics; Microfluidics; National Center for Research Resources; Pathway interactions; Performance; Principal Investigator; Process; Proteins; Radiation; Research; Research Infrastructure; Resources; Silk; Solid; Solutions; Source; Structure; United States National Institutes of Health; cost; improved; in vivo; protein structure; research study; structural biology

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Silk is a biopolymer with high mechanical performances produces in vivo in environment-friendly conditions. In order to mimic the natural process of silk formation, the effect of each parameter involved in it must be understood. We built a microfluidic chip enabling us to study both the effect of ionic composition of the protein solution and shear forces applied to it along its transformation to a solid fiber. In this project, we intend to follow by small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), the evolution of the silk protein structure along its pathway in this x-ray transparent chip. Preliminary results showed that cations such as copper and calcium trigger silk protein (fibroin) aggregation but in a different way. We have seen by single-fiber diffraction experiments that in certain conditions, the fiber produced in the chip has a semi-crystalline structure characteristic of natural silk. These complementary results are very promising and in situ SAXS measurements are now required to further improve our comprehension of the effect of each parameter.

这个子项目是许多利用资源的研究子项目之一 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目的主要支持 而子项目的主要调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括其它NIH来源。 列出的子项目总成本可能 代表子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， 而不是由NCRR赠款提供给子项目或子项目工作人员的直接资金。 蚕丝是一种在环境友好条件下在体内产生的具有高机械性能的生物高分子材料。为了模拟蚕丝形成的自然过程，必须了解其中涉及的每个参数的影响。我们建立了一个微流控芯片，使我们能够研究蛋白质溶液的离子组成和剪切力施加到它沿着其转化为固体纤维的效果。在这个项目中，我们打算通过小角X射线散射（SAXS）跟踪丝蛋白结构的演变，沿着它在这个X射线透明芯片中的路径。初步结果表明，铜和钙等阳离子触发丝蛋白（丝心蛋白）聚集，但以不同的方式。我们通过单纤维衍射实验发现，在一定条件下，切片中产生的纤维具有天然丝的半结晶结构特征。这些互补的结果是非常有前途的，现在需要在现场SAXS测量，以进一步提高我们的理解的影响，每个参数。