💡RIKEN: Elucidation of the initial mechanism of spider’s yarn formation
~ Molecular level preparation is necessary to make strong yarn ~
When the spider’s thread is formed, the bio-polymer research team at the RIKEN · Environmental Resource Science Research Center, the silk protein, which is the main component of spider thread, forms a polyproline II helix structure locally.
We discovered that some of this silk protein metastasizes to a beta sheet structure (required for spider formation).
The result of this research will lead to the development of environmentally-low load type spider yarn material that does not use harmful organic solvents and the development of materials showing high toughness like spider thread.
This research will be published in the UK online science magazine “Nature Communications” (May 29, 2018: May 29, Japan time).
— Translated by TokioX’press —