Bombyx mori (BM) silk fibroin is composed of two different subunits: heavy chain and light chain fibroin linked by a covalent disulfide bond. Current methods of separating the two silk fractions is complicated and produces inadequate quantities of the isolated components for the study of the individual light and heavy chain silks with respect to new materials. We report a simple method of separ...

The dispersion of nanoparticles in ordered polymer nanostructures can provide control over particle location and orientation, and pave the way for tailored nanomaterials that have enhanced mechanical, electrical, or optical properties. Here we used silk fibroin, a natural biopolymer, to embed gold NCs (nanocrystals), so as to obtain well-ordered structures such as nanowires and self-assembled t...

The genipin-cross-linked silk sericin/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films were developed aiming to be applied as two-dimensional wound dressings for the treatment of superficial wounds. The effects of genipin cross-linking concentration on the physical and biological properties of the films were investigated. The genipin-cross-linked silk sericin/PVA films showed the increased surface density, tens...

Given their ephemeral nature, the preservation of historic silks can be problematic. Rapid, on-site condition monitoring would offer significant benefits to conservators and museum curators concerned with continued access to collections. In this paper, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) is investigated as a noninvasive approach to the characterization of silk fabrics and particularly for determin...

Silk gland cells undergo multiple endomitotic cell cycles during silkworm larval ontogeny. Our previous study demonstrated that feeding is required for continued endomitosis in the silk gland cells of silkworm larvae. Furthermore, the insulin signaling pathway is closely related to nutritional signals. To investigate whether the insulin signaling pathway is involved in endomitosis in silk gland...

The study aimed to investigate the effects of silk fibroin in a mouse model of dry eye. The experimental dry eye mouse model was developed using more than twelve-weeks-old NOD.B10.H2b mice exposing them to 30-40% ambient humidity and injecting them with scopolamine hydrobromide for 10 days. Tear production and corneal irregularity score were measured by the instillation of phosphate buffered sa...

We extracted silk produced by the larva of the hornet Vespa simillima xanthoptera Cameron from its nest. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis of the extracted hornet silk showed four major components with molecular weights between 35 and 60 kDa. The main amino acid components of the hornet silk protein were Ala (33.5%), Ser (16.9%), Asp (8.5%) and Glu (8...

Submitted for the MAR13 Meeting of The American Physical Society Cob-Weaving Spiders Design Attachment Discs Differently for Locomotion and Prey Capture1 VASAV SAHNI, JARED HARRIS, TODD BLACKLEDGE, ALI DHINOJWALA, The University of Akron — Spiders’ cobwebs ensnare both walking and flying prey. While the scaffolding silk can entangle flying insects, gumfoot silk threads pull walking prey off the...

Evolution has produced some remarkable creatures, of which silk gland is a fascinating organ that exists in a variety of insects and almost half of the 34,000 spider species. The impressive ability to secrete huge amount of pure silk protein, and to store proteins at an extremely high concentration (up to 25%) make the silk gland of Bombyx mori hold great promise to be a cost-effective platform...

Controversial views have been expressed about whether tarantula feet can secrete fine silk threads that could prevent them from falling off smooth vertical surfaces. Two studies have claimed that 'ribbed hairs' on the tarsi of tarantulas produce silk. We examined these ribbed hairs in several tarantula species using light and scanning electron microscopy, and compared them with the silk-produci...