In-situ tensile testing to reveal strain-dependent structural changes of Nephila inaurata egg sac silk

Studying the ultrastructure of spider silk (SPSI) to understand underlying structure function relationships is of great importance for the use of SPSI for medical applications, such as nerve guidance conduits (NGCs). NGCs will undergo strain in vivo when the body parts are moved. Therefore, we wish to explore strain-dependent structural changesthat could influence cell adhesion. By performing in-situ tensile tests on fibers exposed to different relative humidity in combination with high fast nanoXRD mapping, we will obtain detailed information on local deformations in the core and the shell layers. Additionally, fibers immersed in water prior to tensile testing will be examined. We will use egg sac SPSI, which has proven successful in cell culture and is very abundant in principle but rarely studied and poorly understood.