Structural Characterization of Black Widow Spider Dragline Silk Proteins CRP1 and CRP4.

ABSTRACT: Spider dragline silk represents a biomaterial with outstanding mechanical properties, possessing high-tensile strength and toughness. In black widows at least eight different proteins have been identified as constituents of dragline silk. These represent major ampullate spidroins MaSp1, MaSp2, MaSp', and several low-molecular weight cysteine-rich protein (CRP) family members, including CRP1, CRP2, and CRP4. Molecular modeling predicts that CRPs contain a cystine slipknot motif, but experimental evidence to support this assertion remains to be reported. To advance scientific knowledge regarding CRP function, we recombinantly expressed and purified CRP1 and CRP4 from bacteria and investigated their secondary structure using circular dichroism (CD) under different chemical and physical condit

SUBMITTER: Shanafelt M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7397007 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature