Search results for "Spider silk"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
High-yield Production of Amyloid-β Peptide Enabled by a Customized Spider Silk Domain
2020
AbstractDuring storage in the silk gland, the N-terminal domain (NT) of spider silk proteins (spidroins) keeps the aggregation-prone repetitive region in solution at extreme concentrations. We observe that NTs from different spidroins have co-evolved with their respective repeat region, and now use an NT that is distantly related to previously used NTs, for efficient recombinant production of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. A designed variant of NT from Nephila clavipes flagelliform spidroin, which in nature allows production and storage of β-hairpin repeat segments, gives exceptionally high yields of different human Aβ variants as a solubility tag. This tool e…
Biomimetic composites with enhanced toughening using silk-inspired triblock proteins and aligned nanocellulose reinforcements
2019
Silk-like proteins produced in bacteria are used as adhesives for cellulose nanofibrils to make a new biological material.
Glycopolymer Functionalization of Engineered Spider Silk Protein-based Materials for Improved Cell Adhesion
2014
Silk protein-based materials are promising biomaterials for application as tissue scaffolds, due to their processability, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. The preparation of films composed of an engineered spider silk protein (eADF4(C16)) and their functionalization with glycopolymers are described. The glycopolymers bind proteins found in the extracellular matrix, providing a biomimetic coating on the films that improves cell adhesion to the surfaces of engineered spider silk films. Such silk-based materials have potential as coatings for degradable implantable devices.