Liquid and solid spider silk analysis in Latrodectus Hespserus
Poster Number
29
Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Artist Statement
Spiders store silk as a liquid substance in glands within their body. We expect that the cause for property differences from liquid to solid silk comes from molecular folding. To test this hypothesis we preformed micro-dissections of black widow spiders (Latrodectus Hesperus), excising silk glands and preforming Ci3 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of them. NMR was preformed by B.A. Lawrence at Eastern Illinois University on a sample of 58 major ampulate glands. We compared the NMR spectrum of solid dragline silk with the spectrum of the major ampulate gland sample. There are measurable shifts in peaks of the alanine carbons from liquid state to solid. The property differences may be from molecular structure going form random coil to F-sheet conformation. Further analysis will be done on the other types of silk glands found in the spider.
Location
Pacific Geosciences Center
Start Date
20-4-2002 9:00 AM
End Date
20-4-2002 5:00 PM
Liquid and solid spider silk analysis in Latrodectus Hespserus
Pacific Geosciences Center
Spiders store silk as a liquid substance in glands within their body. We expect that the cause for property differences from liquid to solid silk comes from molecular folding. To test this hypothesis we preformed micro-dissections of black widow spiders (Latrodectus Hesperus), excising silk glands and preforming Ci3 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of them. NMR was preformed by B.A. Lawrence at Eastern Illinois University on a sample of 58 major ampulate glands. We compared the NMR spectrum of solid dragline silk with the spectrum of the major ampulate gland sample. There are measurable shifts in peaks of the alanine carbons from liquid state to solid. The property differences may be from molecular structure going form random coil to F-sheet conformation. Further analysis will be done on the other types of silk glands found in the spider.