Modelling self assembly of natural silk solutions

We present a tentative interpretation of the origin of nematic liquid crystalline order exhibited by various natural silk fibroin solutions, notably those of orb-weaving spiders and the domestic silkworm Bombyx mori. It is thought that liquid crystalline rheology is exploited during the spinning pro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of biological macromolecules 2003-09, Vol.32 (3), p.59-65
Main Authors: Braun, F.N., Viney, C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino acid substitution
Animals
Bombyx - chemistry
Evolution, Molecular
Fibroins - chemistry
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
Insect Proteins - chemistry
Lepidopterans
Liquid crystals
Phase behaviour of silk solutions
Protein Binding
Salts - pharmacology
Self assembly
Silk
Solutions - chemistry
Spiders (araneae)
Temperature
Thermodynamics
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Summary:We present a tentative interpretation of the origin of nematic liquid crystalline order exhibited by various natural silk fibroin solutions, notably those of orb-weaving spiders and the domestic silkworm Bombyx mori. It is thought that liquid crystalline rheology is exploited during the spinning process. We discuss in this approach the response of the liquid crystalline phase diagram to equilibrium physiological conditions and to parameters characterising the amino acid sequence of the fibroin molecules. The phase diagram is sensitive in this latter respect to sequence mutations, such that it may constitute a source of evolutionary selection pressure.
ISSN:0141-8130
1879-0003
DOI:10.1016/S0141-8130(03)00038-2