Silk-based biomaterials and applications

Molecular Engineering of Silk via Fatty Acid Esterification for Water-Stable, Anti-fouling, Biocompatible, Implantable Materials

This study modifies silk fibroin with fatty acid esterification to create water-stable, anti-fouling, biocompatible materials for implantable applications.

How spiders use dragline silk to control abseiling and jumping

This paper develops a dynamical model to show how spiders use constant-strain dragline silk to control abseiling and jumping, ensuring stable movement and landing.

Metastable Dimeric Intermediate Drives Native-like Spidroin Fibrillogenesis, while Dehydration Promotes Cross-β Transition

This paper identifies a metastable dimeric intermediate essential for forming native-like spidroin fibrils, but shows dehydration causes irreversible transition to amyloid-like cross-β structures.

Genomics and CT imaging reveal diversity in silk genes and gland morphology of webspinners

The paper presents the first high-quality genomes of two webspinner species, revealing complex silk gene structures and gland morphology through genomics and CT imaging.

Photocrosslinkable silk fibroin-hyaluronic acid hybrid hydrogels enable chondrocyte-driven matrix deposition and mechanical maturation for cartilage tissue engineering

This study develops a photocrosslinkable silk fibroin-hyaluronic acid hydrogel that supports chondrocyte viability and matrix deposition, leading to mechanical maturation for cartilage tissue engineering.

Angiogenesis Guided by Bombyx mori Silk Proteins is Molecular Weight-Dependent

This study investigates how molecular weight of silk proteins affects angiogenesis, finding that high-MW sericin inhibits while low-MW sericin and fibroin promote angiogenic activity through macrophage polarization.

Investigation of In Vivo Silk Scaffold Degradation by Decoupling Tissue Ingrowth Using a GPR-Driven Digital Twin Framework

This paper develops a GPR-driven digital twin framework to predict in vivo silk scaffold degradation by decoupling tissue ingrowth from polymer decay, validated in a rat model.

Progressive matrix stiffening of tyramine-modified silk fibroin hydrogels governs stage-specific pulmonary fibroblast activation

This study uses stiffening hydrogels to model fibrosis stages and shows how different stiffness levels affect fibroblast activation and cytokine secretion.

A Sandwich-Structured Silk Fibroin Mesh with ROS-Responsive and Immunoregulatory Functions for Pelvic Floor Repair

This paper develops a ROS-responsive silk fibroin mesh with immunoregulatory properties for pelvic floor repair, showing improved immune modulation and tissue integration.

Adhesive silk hydrogel patches for localized and sustained delivery of cell-derived nanovesicles

This paper develops an adhesive silk hydrogel patch for localized and sustained delivery of stem cell-derived nanovesicles, showing anti-fibrotic effects in vitro and in a mouse model.

Evolution of highly repetitive silk genes in the Luna moth, Actias luna

This study characterizes sericin gene evolution in the Luna moth, revealing gene duplications, repeat variation, and subfunctionalization across life stages and species.

New insights into the evolution of spider silk proteins illuminated by long-read transcriptomes

This study uses long-read transcriptomes to identify ancestral spider silk proteins and their evolutionary trajectories, revealing how they diversified into modern silk types.

Evaluating Flow-Focused Microfluidic Device Fabrication Techniques for Silk Fibroin Microgel Production

This study compares three microfluidic fabrication techniques for producing silk fibroin microgels with tunable properties, finding each method has unique advantages and limitations.

Programmable DNA-Silk fibroin hydrogel scaffold with temporal mechanical reinforcement for mesenchymal stem cells differentiation and accelerated wound healing in a full-thickness skin defect mice model

This paper develops a DNA-silk fibroin hybrid hydrogel that enhances mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and accelerates wound healing in mice.

In-Silico Evaluation of Silk Fibroin-Conjugated Doxycycline for Sustained Drug Delivery

This paper evaluates silk fibroin-conjugated Doxycycline for sustained drug delivery using in-silico methods, finding strong binding and stability.

Natural spider silk enhances mechanical performance of collagen scaffold under stretching conditions

This study shows that infusing collagen scaffolds with native spider silk improves their mechanical strength and stability under stretching, while preventing bacterial growth.

Receptor-based protein binding in the supramolecular network of velvet worm slime

This paper identifies evolutionarily conserved LRR proteins in velvet worm slime that form receptor-like structures, enabling reversible supramolecular network formation in bioadhesive fibers.

Cryo-ET Analysis Unveils the Minimum Structural Unit and Hierarchical Ultrastructure of Silk Fibers in Silkworm and Spider

This study uses cryo-ET to analyze the ultrastructure of silkworm, spider, and artificial silk, revealing differences in their fundamental structural units and hierarchical organization.

Enhancing the versatility of photocrosslinkable silk fibroin using an eco-friendly solvent

This paper improves the sustainability of photofibroin by using an eco-friendly solvent, enabling versatile fabrication techniques for biomedical applications.

Curcumin-silk tyrosine crosslinked hydrogels

This paper develops a rapid gelling hydrogel formulation using curcumin and silk tyrosine crosslinking for localized anti-cancer drug delivery.

Salivary proteins in spider mites: dual roles in feeding and silk fiber coating

This study identifies three salivary proteins in spider mites that function in both feeding and silk fiber coating, with knockdown experiments showing reduced feeding and silk thickness.

Tailoring hydrophobicity and strength in spider silk-inspired coatings via thermal treatments

This study develops spider silk-inspired coatings using renewable materials, showing that thermal treatments enhance hydrophobicity and mechanical strength.

Advancing species identification: A non-invasive molecular approach through spider silk proteome analysis

This paper introduces a non-invasive molecular method for species identification using spider silk proteome analysis, achieving 86% accuracy across 15 species.

Unravelling the complexity of silk sericins: P150/sericin 6 is a new silk gene in Bombyx mori

The paper identifies a new sericin gene, P150/sericin 6, in Bombyx mori, characterizes its structure, and discusses its evolutionary relationships with homologs in other moth species.

Characterization of primary structure of the major silk gene, h-fibroin, across caddisfly suborders (Trichoptera)

The paper characterizes the primary structure of h-fibroin across caddisfly suborders, finding conserved termini and variable repeating modules linked to silk mechanical properties.

Composition of minor ampullate silk makes its properties different from those of major ampullate silk

The paper investigates the composition and properties of minor ampullate silk (MI-silk) compared to major ampullate silk (MA-silk) and identifies MaSp2 as the factor affecting water resistance.

Molecular atlas reveals the tri-sectional spinning mechanism of spider dragline silk

The paper creates a molecular atlas of spider dragline silk production in Trichonephila clavata, revealing a tri-sectional biosynthesis mechanism and cell-type organization in the major ampullate gland.

Uncovering hidden genetic diversity: allelic resolution of insect and spider silk genes

The paper reveals extensive allelic variation in silk genes across insect and spider species using long-read sequencing, highlighting convergent patterns in structural protein-coding genes.

Recombinant protein condensation inside E. coli enables the development of building blocks for bioinspired materials engineering - biomimetic spider silk protein as a case study

The paper shows that recombinant spider silk-mimetic protein forms liquid-like condensates in E. coli, which transition to solid-like states under acidic conditions, enabling bioinspired material development.

Darwin's bark spider shares a spidroin repertoire with Caerostris extrusa but achieves extraordinary silk toughness through gene expression

The paper investigates spidroin sequences and gene expression in Darwin's bark spider and its relative, finding that while spidroin genes are conserved, higher expression in Darwin's bark spider contributes to its tougher silk.