Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Gregor Lang, Carolin Grill, Thomas Scheibel
Summary: This study used spider silk proteins to produce Janus fibers with two different functional sides. Functionalization and coupling of gold nanoparticles were achieved through modification and post-treatment processes. The results demonstrated the potential of this silk-based system to realize complex bifunctional structures at the nano scale.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Dominic R. Whittall, Katherine Baker, Rainer Breitling, Eriko Takano
Summary: Spider silk is known for its impressive mechanical properties, but farming spiders for silk is impractical. Research focuses on producing recombinant spider silk proteins in more feasible hosts, with the goal of developing a highly efficient and cost-effective production system. Genes encoding these proteins have been successfully expressed in various host platforms, showing potential for large-scale production.
TRENDS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Maryam Ramezaniaghdam, Nadia D. Nahdi, Ralf Reski
Summary: Spider silk has exceptional mechanical properties and potential applications. Scientists have attempted to produce spider silk proteins on a large scale through recombinant production in various host organisms, with a focus on plant systems.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiatian Li, Sitong Li, Jiayi Huang, Abdul Qadeer Khan, Baigang An, Xiang Zhou, Zunfeng Liu, Meifang Zhu
Summary: Spider silk is a natural polymeric fiber with remarkable mechanical properties attributed to its hierarchical structure. Researchers have been motivated to develop artificial functional fibers mimicking spider silk, and this review provides insights into the biomimetic preparation of such fibers with interesting properties. Biomimetic studies have yielded noteworthy findings in artificial fibers aiming to exceed the properties of natural spider silk.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jie Zhang, Mengxin Gong, Qing Meng
Summary: The concentration of methanol during wet spinning plays a crucial role in determining the performance of spider silk fibers. Lower concentrations of methanol favor the production of continuous, thinner fibers with higher strain. Secondary stretching during the spinning process contributes to the production of silk fibers with stable mechanical properties and thermal stability.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Noy Cohen, Claus D. Eisenbach
Summary: This study proposes four length scales to explain the unique mechanical response of spider silk under high humidity, and develops a model to describe the microstructural evolution and response caused by water molecule diffusion. The model demonstrates excellent agreement with experimental findings and provides guidance for designing new materials with spiderlike properties.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ali D. Malay, Hamish C. Craig, Jianming Chen, Nur Alia Oktaviani, Keiji Numata
Summary: In this article, recent findings on the material constituents, protein structures, and self-assembly mechanisms of spider dragline silk are discussed. The concept of biomimetics in artificial spider silk production, along with key practical aspects of design and evaluation, is also considered.
Article
Polymer Science
Shin-Da Wu, Wei-Tsung Chuang, Jo-Chen Ho, Hsuan-Chen Wu, Shan-hui Hsu
Summary: Biomimetic recombinant spider silk with self-healing properties was fabricated using genetic engineering. The self-assembled recombinant spider silk hydrogel exhibited autonomous self-healing and high strain-sensitive properties, which were attributed to the stick-slip behavior of the 8-sheet nanocrystals. In addition, the recombinant spider silk as a dry coating material demonstrated self-healing under humidity and showed good affinity towards neural stem cells.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Weiqiang Zhao, Fei Shao, Fuqin Sun, Zihao Su, Shiyong Liu, Ting Zhang, Meifang Zhu, Zunfeng Liu, Xiang Zhou
Summary: Neurons have excellent signal transmission capacity, inspiring the development of artificial neuron materials for wearable electronics and soft robotics. Sticky artificial spider silk made of a proton donor-acceptor hydrogel fiber is developed, which exhibits excellent mechanical properties, stickiness, and ion conductivity. The high spinning capacity of the hydrogel allows for a wide range of donor-acceptor combinations. This PrDA artificial spider silk has the potential to revolutionize the design of artificial neuron materials, bio-electrodes, and artificial synapses.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xi Liu, Lianxin Shi, Xizi Wan, Bing Dai, Yupeng Chen, Shutao Wang
Summary: This paper introduces the characteristics and application areas of spider silk as a natural adhesive, and summarizes the latest advances in artificial adhesive materials inspired by it. Studying the characteristics of spider silk is of great significance for the future development of adhesive materials.
ACS MATERIALS LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wenqian He, Dong Qian, Yang Wang, Guanghao Zhang, Yao Cheng, Xiaoyu Hu, Kai Wen, Meilin Wang, Zunfeng Liu, Xiang Zhou, Meifang Zhu
Summary: Inspired by the structure and spinning process of spider silk, the authors successfully prepared spider-silk-like nanogel fibers with excellent strength and toughness. The fiber's spinning capacity is dependent on the nanogel size, as predicted by theoretical modeling.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jingxia Wang, Tiantian Fan, Xi Li, Xiaoxia Hu, Weidong Huang, Wensu Yuan, Zhi Lin
Summary: A simple method has been developed to spin superstrong silk fibers using regenerated silkworm fibroins in a metal-ion coagulation bath. The artificial silk surpasses natural silks in terms of mechanical properties, with higher tensile strength and Young's modulus.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xi Liu, Lianxin Shi, Xizi Wan, Bing Dai, Man Yang, Zhen Gu, Xinghua Shi, Lei Jiang, Shutao Wang
Summary: A robust spider-silk-inspired wet adhesive composed of core-sheath nanostructured fibers has been reported, showing reliable adhesion even in wet and cold conditions, and even in liquid nitrogen. The unique dissolving-wetting-adhering process of core-sheath nanostructured fibers enables the wet adhesion of this adhesive, demonstrating promising applicability in cryogenic environments.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Benjamin Schmuck, Gabriele Greco, Tomas Bohn Pessatti, Sumalata Sonavane, Viktoria Langwallner, Tina Arndt, Anna Rising
Summary: Artificial spider silk is an attractive material with superior mechanical properties. The key challenge in large-scale production is to maintain its native-like mechanical properties. Strategies to improve the properties of artificial spider silk include optimizing protein composition, improving spinning setups, innovating protein engineering, chemical and physical crosslinking, and incorporating nanomaterials.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jinkun Sun, Wenjin Guo, Guangkai Mei, Songli Wang, Kai Wen, Meilin Wang, Danyang Feng, Dong Qian, Meifang Zhu, Xiang Zhou, Zunfeng Liu
Summary: Inspired by the skin structure, researchers have developed an artificial spider silk with a buckled sheath-core structure, which exhibits higher mechanical strength (1.61 GPa) and toughness (466 MJ m(-3)) than Caerostris darwini silk. The buckled structure is achieved by nano-pulley combing of polyrotaxane hydrogel fibers through cyclic stretch-release training, resulting in axial alignment of polymer chains in the fiber core and buckling in the fiber sheath. The artificial spider silk also demonstrates excellent supercontraction behavior, with a work capacity of 1.89 kJ kg(-1) and an actuation stroke of 82%. This work provides a new strategy for designing high-performance and intelligent fiber materials.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Medoune Sarr, Nina Kronqvist, Gefei Chen, Rihards Aleksis, Pasi Purhonen, Hans Hebert, Kristaps Jaudzems, Anna Rising, Jan Johansson
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
R. Loera-Valencia, A. Piras, M. A. M. Ismail, S. Manchanda, H. Eyjolfsdottir, T. C. Saido, J. Johansson, M. Eriksdotter, B. Winblad, P. Nilsson
JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marie E. Oskarsson, Erik Hermansson, Ye Wang, Nils Welsh, Jenny Presto, Jan Johansson, Gunilla T. Westermark
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2018)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simone Tambaro, Lorena Galan-Acosta, Axel Leppert, Gefei Chen, Henrik Biverstal, Jenny Presto, Per Nilsson, Jan Johansson
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2019)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
J. Johansson, T. Curstedt
JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jan Johansson, Anna Rising
Summary: The production of artificial spider silk fibers has long been a major goal in materials science, with two main methods currently in use, each with its own limitations. New ideas are urgently needed to improve production efficiency and enhance mechanical properties.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Tina Arndt, Peter R. Laity, Jan Johansson, Chris Holland, Anna Rising
Summary: Recombinant spider silk protein NT2RepCT, when produced and spun into fibers at native-like concentrations, exhibits similar secondary structure content and viscoelastic rheological properties to native silk dope. These properties are crucial for biomimetic spinning and optimizing rheological properties could enhance the successful spinning of artificial spider silk dopes into fibers.
ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Axel Leppert, Ann Tiiman, Nina Kronqvist, Michael Landreh, Axel Abelein, Vladana Vukojevic, Jan Johansson
Summary: Protein oligomerization is a common strategy to enhance protein function, but difficult to control. A molecular chaperone has been found to inhibit toxic oligomer formation, providing insights into interfering with protein aggregation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Oihana Basabe-Burgos, Michael Landreh, Anna Rising, Tore Curstedt, Jan Johansson
Summary: Researchers have designed a synthetic surfactant that combines the properties of SP-B and SP-C, and produced them recombinantly for treating neonatal RDS. These synthetic peptides, when mixed with phospholipids, are as efficient as nature-derived surfactant preparations against RDS in premature rabbit fetuses.
ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Xue Li, Xingmei Qi, Yu-Ming Cai, Yuan Sun, Rui Wen, Rui Zhang, Jan Johansson, Qing Meng, Gefei Chen
Summary: This study successfully prepared flagelliform silk-like fibers with good mechanical properties, providing general insights into efficient biomimetic preparations of spider silks.
ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Axel Leppert, Helen Poska, Michael Landreh, Axel Abelein, Gefei Chen, Jan Johansson
Summary: The BRICHOS protein superfamily is associated with various human diseases and can modulate the aggregation pathways of amyloid-forming substrates. The ability to interfere with different aggregation pathways depends on the quaternary structure and surface motifs of BRICHOS domains. This review provides an overview of the BRICHOS protein family and discusses the diverse molecular chaperone-like functions of BRICHOS domains, as well as the potential use of the BRICHOS domain as a treatment for protein aggregation disorders with blood-brain barrier permeability.
Article
Physiology
Pavol Mikolka, Tore Curstedt, Riccardo Feinstein, Anders Larsson, Marian Grendar, Anna Rising, Jan Johansson
Summary: The study compared the treatment effects of synthetic surfactant CHF5633 and animal-derived surfactant poractant alfa in experimental ARDS, finding that both preparations significantly improved lung function and reduced inflammation to similar degrees in the animal model.
PHYSIOLOGICAL REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lisa Vincenz-Donnelly, Hauke Holthusen, Roman Koerner, Erik C. Hansen, Jenny Presto, Jan Johansson, Ritwick Sawarkar, F. Ulrich Hartl, Mark S. Hipp
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Martins Otikovs, Marlene Andersson, Qiupin Jia, Kerstin Nordling, Qing Meng, Loren B. Andreas, Guido Pintacuda, Jan Johansson, Anna Rising, Kristaps Jaudzems
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2017)
Meeting Abstract
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simone Tambaro, Lorena Galan-Acosta, Axel Leppert, Jenny Presto, Jan Johansson
AMYLOID-JOURNAL OF PROTEIN FOLDING DISORDERS
(2017)