Changes in element composition along the spinning duct in a Nephila spider

@article{Knight2001ChangesIE,
  title={Changes in element composition along the spinning duct in a Nephila spider},
  author={David P. Knight and Fritz Vollrath},
  journal={Naturwissenschaften},
  year={2001},
  volume={88},
  pages={179-182}
}
Abstract. The silk gland of the golden orb spider Nephila edulis connects to the exit spigot through a long S-shaped duct that assists in the formation of the thread. Previous evidence suggests that the epithelium of the distal (last) part of the duct is specialized for ion transport and that a proton pump is involved in this process. Here, we present evidence from SEM (scanning electron microscope)-EDAX (energy dispersive X-ray) microanalysis of rapidly frozen material maintained at… 
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193 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
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193 Citations

Structure and function of the major ampullate spinning duct of the golden orb weaver, Nephila edulis.
Morphology and composition of the spider major ampullate gland and dragline silk.
TLDR
It is shown that NT is present in the dope and throughout dragline silk fibers, including the skin layer, and that the major ampullate tail and sac consist of three different and sharply demarcated zones (A-C), each with a distinct epithelial cell type.
Probing the Impact of Acidification on Spider Silk Assembly Kinetics.
TLDR
The results confirm the importance of an acidic pH gradient along the spinning duct for spider silk formation and provide a powerful spectroscopic approach to probe the kinetics of spider Silk formation under various biochemical conditions.
Differential polymerization of the two main protein components of dragline silk during fibre spinning
TLDR
The findings suggest that the role of spidroin 2 in the spinning process could be to facilitate the formation of fibrils and contribute directly to the elasticity of the silk.
Spidroin N-terminal Domain Promotes a pH-dependent Association of Silk Proteins during Self-assembly*
TLDR
It is shown that the N-terminal domain of spidroins from the major ampullate gland (MaSp-NTDs) for both Nephila and Latrodectus spiders associate noncovalently as homodimers.
Combining flagelliform and dragline spider silk motifs to produce tunable synthetic biopolymer fibers
TLDR
Nuclear magnetic resonance indicated that the fraction of β‐sheet nanocrystals in the polyalanine regions formed upon extrusion, increased during stretching, and was maximized after water‐treatment, and X‐ray diffraction showed that nanocrystallite orientation parallel to the fiber axis increased the ultimate strength and initial stiffness of the fibers.
A New Evidence of Lubrication Hypothesis on Nephila pilipes Spider Silk Spinning
TLDR
A novel approach to quantitatively estimate the overall concentration change of spider silk along the progression of liquid-to-solid silk transition from the gland silk and a hypothesis of liquid coating on the outer surface of the silk thread served as a lubrication layer to reduce the silking resistance in spinning spigot of spider was proposed.
A Facile Measurement for Monitoring Dragline Silk Dope Concentration in Nephila pilipes upon Spinning
In spite of all the efforts towards deciphering the silk spinning process of spiders, the underlying mechanism is yet to be fully revealed. In this research, we designed a novel approach that allowed…
Structure and pH‐induced alterations of recombinant and natural spider silk proteins in solution
TLDR
Using a combination of NMR and dynamic light scattering, it is found that the spectral alteration of glycine is concomitant to a modification of the hydrodynamical diameter of recombinant and solubilized MaS.
The Secretion Process of Liquid Silk with Nanopillar Structures from Stenopsyche marmorata (Trichoptera: Stenopsychidae)
TLDR
The morphological characteristics suggest that the silk insolubilization leading to fibrillation occurs by luminal pH neutralization, and nanopillar structures probably contribute to the strong underwater adhesion of S. marmorata silk.
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References

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