Scientists at RIKEN in Japan have used far-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy and other techniques to reveal the underlying mechanism of spider silk formation. The research could help materials scientists weave biomimetic versions of this natural material which is both stronger and more flexible weight-for weight than steel.
Scientists in the Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) and their colleagues have investigated silk from the golden orb-web spider (Nephila clavipes), commonly known as the banana spider, using far-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy, solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy. They looked at the soluble precursor of spider silk and found that a previously undiscovered structural element is key to how the proteins form into the beta-sheet conformation that gives the silk its exceptional strength.
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