{"id":656180,"date":"2025-03-07T22:25:10","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T19:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/stretching-spider-silk-makes-it-stronger-by-aligning-protein-chains\/"},"modified":"2025-03-07T22:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T19:25:10","slug":"stretching-spider-silk-makes-it-stronger-by-aligning-protein-chains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stretching-spider-silk-makes-it-stronger-by-aligning-protein-chains\/","title":{"rendered":"#Stretching spider silk makes it stronger by aligning protein chains"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a288520b3dbb\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a288520b3dbb\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stretching-spider-silk-makes-it-stronger-by-aligning-protein-chains\/#Stronger_than_steel_tougher_than_Kevlar\" >Stronger than steel, tougher than Kevlar<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stretching-spider-silk-makes-it-stronger-by-aligning-protein-chains\/#Simulating_stretchiness\" >Simulating stretchiness<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stretching-spider-silk-makes-it-stronger-by-aligning-protein-chains\/#Experimental_validation\" >Experimental validation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/stretching-spider-silk.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/stretching-spider-silk.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scanning electron microscopy images of fibers from engineered spider silk. To validate their computational findings, the Northwestern team used spectroscopy techniques to examine how the protein chains stretched and aligned in real fibers from engineered spider silk. Credit: Washington University at St. Louis\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/stretching-spider-silk.jpg\" alt=\"Stretching spider silk makes it stronger\" title=\"Scanning electron microscopy images of fibers from engineered spider silk. To validate their computational findings, the Northwestern team used spectroscopy techniques to examine how the protein chains stretched and aligned in real fibers from engineered spider silk. Credit: Washington University at St. Louis\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Scanning electron microscopy images of fibers from engineered spider silk. To validate their computational findings, the Northwestern team used spectroscopy techniques to examine how the protein chains stretched and aligned in real fibers from engineered spider silk. Credit: Washington University at St. Louis<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When spiders spin their webs, they use their hind legs to pull silk threads from their spinnerets. This pulling action doesn&#8217;t just help the spider release the silk, it&#8217;s also a crucial step in strengthening the silk fibers for a more durable web.<\/p>\n<p>In a new study, Northwestern University researchers have discovered why the role of stretching is so important. By simulating spider silk in a computational model, the team discovered the stretching process aligns the protein chains within the fibers and increases the number of bonds between those chains. Both factors lead to stronger, tougher fibers.<\/p>\n<p>The team then validated these computational predictions through laboratory experiments using engineered spider silk. These insights could help researchers design engineered silk-inspired proteins and spinning processes for various <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications, including strong, biodegradable sutures and tough, high-performance, blast-proof body armor.<\/p>\n<p>The study <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adr3833\" target=\"_blank\">appears<\/a> in <i><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a> Advances.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Researchers already knew this stretching, or drawing, is necessary for making really strong fibers,&#8221; said Northwestern&#8217;s Sinan Keten, the study&#8217;s senior author. &#8220;But no one necessarily knew why. With our computational method, we were able to probe what&#8217;s happening at the nanoscale to gain insights that cannot be seen experimentally. We could examine how drawing relates to the silk&#8217;s mechanical properties.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Spiders perform the drawing process naturally,&#8221; said Northwestern researcher Jacob Graham, the study&#8217;s first author. &#8220;When they spin silk out of their silk gland, spiders use their hind legs to grab the fiber and pull it out. That stretches the fiber as it&#8217;s being formed. It makes the fiber very strong and very elastic. We found that you can modify the fiber&#8217;s mechanical properties simply through modifying the amount of stretching.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>An expert in bioinspired materials, Keten is the Jerome B. Cohen Professor of Engineering, professor and associate chair of mechanical engineering and professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern&#8217;s McCormick School of Engineering. Graham is a Ph.D. student in Keten&#8217;s research group.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Stronger_than_steel_tougher_than_Kevlar\"><\/span>Stronger than steel, tougher than Kevlar<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Researchers have long been interested in spider silk because of its remarkable properties. It&#8217;s stronger than steel, tougher than Kevlar and stretchy like rubber. But farming spiders for their natural silk is expensive, energy-intensive and difficult. So, scientists instead want to recreate silk-like materials in the lab.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Spider silk is the strongest organic fiber,&#8221; Graham said. &#8220;It also has the advantage of being biodegradable. So, it&#8217;s an ideal material for medical applications. It could be used for surgical sutures and adhesive gels for wound-closure because it would naturally, harmlessly degrade in the body.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Study co-author Fuzhong Zhang, the Francis F. Ahmann Professor at Washington University (WashU) in St. Louis, has been engineering microbes to produce spider-silk materials for several years. By extruding engineered spider silk proteins and then stretching them by hand, the team has developed artificial fibers similar to threads from the golden silk orb weaver, a large spider with a spectacularly strong web.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Simulating_stretchiness\"><\/span>Simulating stretchiness<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Despite developing this &#8220;recipe&#8221; for spider silk, researchers still don&#8217;t fully understand how the spinning process changes fiber structure and strength. To tackle this open-ended question, Keten and Graham developed a computational model to simulate the molecular dynamics within Zhang&#8217;s artificial silk.<\/p>\n<p>Through these simulations, the Northwestern team explored how stretching affects the proteins&#8217; arrangement within the fibers. Specifically, they looked at how stretching changes the order of proteins, the connection of proteins to one another and the movement of molecules within the fibers.<\/p>\n<p>Keten and Graham found that stretching caused the proteins to line up, which increased the fiber&#8217;s overall strength. They also found that stretching increased the number of hydrogen bonds, which act like bridges between the protein chains to make up the fiber. The increase in hydrogen bonds contributes to the fiber&#8217;s overall strength, toughness and elasticity, the researchers found.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Once a fiber is extruded, its mechanical properties are actually quite weak,&#8221; Graham said. &#8220;But when it&#8217;s stretched up to six times its initial length, it becomes very strong.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ads w-100 my-4 article-main__more bg-light p-3 border\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-3\">\n        Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over <strong>100,000 subscribers<\/strong> who rely on Phys.org for daily insights.<br \/>\n        Sign up for our <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a> and get updates on breakthroughs,<br \/>\n        innovations, and research that matter\u2014<strong>daily or weekly<\/strong>.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Experimental_validation\"><\/span>Experimental validation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To validate their computational findings, the team used spectroscopy techniques to examine how the protein chains stretched and aligned in real fibers from the WashU team. They also used tensile testing to see how much stretching the fibers could tolerate before breaking. The experimental results agreed with the simulation&#8217;s predictions.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If you don&#8217;t stretch the material, you have these spherical globs of proteins,&#8221; Graham said. &#8220;But stretching turns these globs into more of an interconnected network. The protein chains stack on top of one another, and the network becomes more and more interconnected. Bundled proteins have more potential to unravel and extend further before the fiber breaks, but initially extended proteins make for less extensible fibers that require more force to break.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Although Graham used to think spiders were just creepy-crawlies, he now sees their potential to help solve real problems. He notes that engineered spider silk provides a stronger, biodegradable alternative to other synthetic materials, which are mostly petroleum-derived plastics.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I definitely look at spiders in a new light,&#8221; Graham said. &#8220;I used to think they were nuisances. Now, I see them as a source of fascination.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJacob Graham et al, Charting the envelope of mechanical properties of synthetic silk fibers through predictive modeling of the drawing process, <i>Science Advances<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1126\/sciadv.adr3833\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.1126\/sciadv.adr3833<\/a>. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adr3833\" target=\"_blank\">www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adr3833<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium mt-4\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProvided by<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNorthwestern University<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"http:\/\/www.northwestern.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use href=\"https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStretching spider silk makes it stronger by aligning protein chains (2025, March 7)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 7 March 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-03-spider-silk-stronger-aligning-protein.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-03-spider-silk-stronger-aligning-protein.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scanning electron microscopy images of fibers from engineered spider silk. To validate their computational findings, the Northwestern team used spectroscopy techniques to examine how the protein chains stretched and aligned in real fibers from engineered spider silk. Credit: Washington University at St. Louis When spiders spin their webs, they use their hind legs to pull&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":656181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/stretching-spider-silk.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-656180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/656181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=656180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}