2008
DOI: 10.1007/bf03218556
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pH-Triggered transition of silk fibroin from spherical micelles to nanofibrils in water

Abstract: Many natural proteins self-assemble in complex ways, either to fulfill their biological function or introduce particular properties, such as high strength and toughness. We report the morphological transition in water from a spherical to rod-like shape of Bombyx mori silk fibroin by reducing the pH. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering were used to characterize the dilute solutions of silk fibroin in an aqueous environment, and provide direct visualizatio… Show more

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Cited by 40 publications
(41 citation statements)
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“…A similar trend has been observed for significantly higher concentrations of silk fibroin (between 0.25 mg mL −1 and 8 mg mL −1 ), as well as higher concentrations of potassium phosphate (from 0.5 M to 1.25 M) 47, 50. To independently confirm the stability of different silk layers, we fabricated silk films using the dip‐assisted LbL method and exposed them to the solutions of K + phosphate buffers of different strength (0.03 M, 0.1 M, or 0.5 M, pH 5.5), followed by brief washing in Nanopure water (Figure S2).…”
Section: Resultssupporting
confidence: 80%
“…A similar trend has been observed for significantly higher concentrations of silk fibroin (between 0.25 mg mL −1 and 8 mg mL −1 ), as well as higher concentrations of potassium phosphate (from 0.5 M to 1.25 M) 47, 50. To independently confirm the stability of different silk layers, we fabricated silk films using the dip‐assisted LbL method and exposed them to the solutions of K + phosphate buffers of different strength (0.03 M, 0.1 M, or 0.5 M, pH 5.5), followed by brief washing in Nanopure water (Figure S2).…”
Section: Resultssupporting
confidence: 80%
“…Experiments made in vitro can provide several relevant insights into the process of silk protein assembly and the formation mechanism of the silk fiber. To unravel the assembly mechanism, the reconstituted/recombinant proteins were applied for fiber assembly under specific condition [158][159][160][161][162][163]. Jin et al characterized the change of the supramolecular structure of silk fibroin with a reduction of the pH, which demonstrates the self-assembly of silk fibroin as a function of pH.…”
Section: Silk Protein Assembly and Silk Fiber Formation Mechanism On mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…In this case, the stretching of the hydrophobic blocks that are inside SF micelles during β-sheet formation would be the responsible for fibril formation 16 .…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%