Spinning an elastic ribbon of spider silk

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
David P Knight, F Vollrath

Abstract

The Sicarid spider Loxosceles laeta spins broad but very thin ribbons of elastic silk that it uses to form a retreat and to capture prey. A structural investigation into this spider's silk and spinning apparatus shows that these ribbons are spun from a gland homologous to the major ampullate gland of orb web spiders. The Loxosceles gland is constructed from the same basic parts (separate transverse zones in the gland, a duct and spigot) as other spider silk glands but construction details are highly specialized. These differences are thought to relate to different ways of spinning silk in the two groups of spiders. Loxosceles uses conventional die extrusion, feeding a liquid dope (spinning solution) to the slit-like die to form a flat ribbon, while orb web spiders use an extrusion process in which the silk dope is processed in an elongated duct to produce a cylindrical thread. This is achieved by the combination of an initial internal draw down, well inside the duct, and a final draw down, after the silk has left the spigot. The spinning mechanism in Loxosceles may be more ancestral.

References

Jan 1, 1989·Urological Research·G J van SteenbruggeJ Horoszewicz
May 26, 1999·International Journal of Biological Macromolecules·F Vollrath, D P Knight
May 26, 1999·International Journal of Biological Macromolecules·B MadsenF Vollrath
Jun 1, 2000·International Journal of Biological Macromolecules·D P KnightF Vollrath
Jun 23, 2000·Nature·K AutumnR J Full
Mar 30, 2001·Nature·F Vollrath, D P Knight
Aug 2, 2001·Die Naturwissenschaften·D P Knight, F Vollrath
Nov 13, 2001·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·F VollrathZ Shao
Jul 9, 2002·Biomacromolecules·Xin ChenFritz Vollrath
Oct 27, 1989·Science·W A ShearP M Bonamo
Jul 17, 2008·Tissue & Cell·D Knight, F Vollrath

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Oct 8, 2008·Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology : the Official Journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology·Vladimir G BogushMikhail P Kirpichnikov
Mar 1, 2016·Journal of Proteome Research·José Roberto Aparecido Dos Santos-PintoMario Sergio Palma
Oct 27, 2004·Toxicon : Official Journal of the International Society on Toxinology·Paulo Henrique da SilvaSilvio Sanches Veiga
Sep 8, 2011·Angewandte Chemie·Aaron M Kushner, Zhibin Guan
Apr 3, 2007·Angewandte Chemie·Josef H ExlerThomas Scheibel
Dec 20, 2013·Advanced Materials·Hannes C SchnieppFritz Vollrath
Jun 25, 2014·Bioinspiration & Biomimetics·Derek LeachFumiya Iida
Sep 21, 2017·Scientific Reports·Pezhman MohammadiMarkus B Linder
Oct 15, 2013·Microbial Biotechnology·Olena TokarevaDavid L Kaplan
Feb 18, 2015·Advanced Materials·Aniela HeidebrechtThomas Scheibel

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.