Surprising Silk: Proteins Become More Concentrated When Diluted

New neutron research at Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) has revealed that the proteins making up silkworm silk have unexpected properties: effectively the proteins become more concentrated as they are diluted. The study published earlier this month in the RSC journal Soft Matter is a big step forward in understanding the amazing properties of silks and how to synthesise them.

Usually proteins are stable at a concentration of approximately 1mg/ml. As the concentration increases, say to 5-10mg/ml, proteins usually start to aggregate.

This surprising observation is a vital step towards understanding the liquid precursor, which is essential to synthesise silk and develop new materials with silk's desirable mechanical properties.

Original Paper:

Imke Greving, Cedric Dicko, Ann Terry, Phil Callow, Fritz Vollrath. Small angle neutron scattering of native and reconstituted silk fibroin. Soft Matter, 2010; 6 (18): 4389 DOI: 10.1039/C0SM00108B

For more information:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101003081929.htm