title: Differential Scanning Fluorimetry provides high throughput data on silk protein transitions.
abstract: Here we present a set of measurements using Differential Scanning Fluorimetry (DSF) as an inexpensive, high throughput screening method to investigate the folding of silk protein molecules as they abandon their first native melt conformation, dehydrate and denature into their final solid filament conformation. Our first data and analyses comparing silks from spiders, mulberry and wild silkworms as well as reconstituted 'silk' fibroin show that DSF can provide valuable insights into details of silk denaturation processes that might be active during spinning. We conclude that this technique and technology offers a powerful and novel tool to analyse silk protein transitions in detail by allowing many changes to the silk solutions to be tested rapidly with microliter scale sample sizes. Such transition mechanisms will lead to important generic insights into the folding patterns not only of silks but also of other fibrous protein (bio)polymers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3PS.
authors.forename: Fritz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vollrath
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3PS.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3PS.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3PS [2] Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, UK.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3PS [2] Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London.
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boulet-Audet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx / Q000378:metabolism; D005349:Fibroins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005470:Fluorometry / Q000379:methods; D031625:Morus / Q000378:metabolism; D017510:Protein Folding; D047011:Silk / Q000378:metabolism*; D013112:Spiders / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D047011:Silk; D005349:Fibroins