Bäcklund Fredrik G, Schmuck Benjamin, Miranda Gisele H B, Greco Gabriele, Pugno Nicola M, Rydén Jesper, Rising Anna
Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Neo, 14186 Huddinge, Sweden.
Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
Materials (Basel). 2022 Jan 18;15(3):708. doi: 10.3390/ma15030708.
Silk fibers derived from the cocoon of silk moths and the wide range of silks produced by spiders exhibit an array of features, such as extraordinary tensile strength, elasticity, and adhesive properties. The functional features and mechanical properties can be derived from the structural composition and organization of the silk fibers. Artificial recombinant protein fibers based on engineered spider silk proteins have been successfully made previously and represent a promising way towards the large-scale production of fibers with predesigned features. However, for the production and use of protein fibers, there is a need for reliable objective quality control procedures that could be automated and that do not destroy the fibers in the process. Furthermore, there is still a lack of understanding the specifics of how the structural composition and organization relate to the ultimate function of silk-like fibers. In this study, we develop a new method for the categorization of protein fibers that enabled a highly accurate prediction of fiber tensile strength. Based on the use of a common light microscope equipped with polarizers together with image analysis for the precise determination of fiber morphology and optical properties, this represents an easy-to-use, objective non-destructive quality control process for protein fiber manufacturing and provides further insights into the link between the supramolecular organization and mechanical functionality of protein fibers.
源自蚕茧的丝纤维以及蜘蛛所产的多种丝展现出一系列特性，如非凡的拉伸强度、弹性和粘附特性。这些功能特性和机械性能可源自丝纤维的结构组成和组织结构。基于工程化蜘蛛丝蛋白的人工重组蛋白纤维此前已成功制备，是大规模生产具有预先设计特性纤维的一种有前景的方法。然而，对于蛋白纤维的生产和使用，需要可靠的客观质量控制程序，这些程序能够自动化且在过程中不破坏纤维。此外，对于结构组成和组织结构如何与类丝纤维的最终功能相关的具体细节仍缺乏了解。在本研究中，我们开发了一种对蛋白纤维进行分类的新方法，该方法能够高度准确地预测纤维的拉伸强度。基于使用配备偏振器的普通光学显微镜以及用于精确测定纤维形态和光学性质的图像分析，这代表了一种用于蛋白纤维制造的易于使用、客观的非破坏性质量控制过程，并为蛋白纤维的超分子组织与机械功能之间的联系提供了进一步的见解。
