High-spatial resolution characterization of spider major ampullate gland duct
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Spider silk possesses unique mechanical properties that make it appealing for a variety of applications. It is stored at the silk gland at high concentration, and is spun into fiber within seconds from the gland duct. However, the mechanism behind this spinning process is not fully understood. Specifically, the changes in the supramolecular arrangement of the spinning dope and the presence of ion gradients along the duct are key aspects that have not been thoroughly studied. The main objectives are 1) To map the high spatial resolution distribution of relevant ions along the duct using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and 2) to investigate the supramolecular arrangement of the silk dope along the duct using small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) to test the effect of ions on silk assembly. The experiments will be conducted on freshly dissected silk glands from bridge spiders. We request beamtime before October, as these spiders are available only from June to September.



