Second-order nonlinear optical microscopy of spider silk

Zhao, Yue; Hien, Khuat Thi Thu; Mizutani, Goro; Rutt, H.N.

doi:10.1007/s00340-017-6766-z

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 53 publications

(95 reference statements)

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“…In order to obtain a wide area of the web, we picked up the orb web using a large copper ring. 25 We then cut off the silk from the outer circumference of the ring, taking care not to pull or deform the silk in the retaining ring ( Fig. 1).…”

Section: Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loss of Phosphate Determines the Versatility of a Spider Orb-web Glue Ball

2019

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Spiders capture their prey by weaving an "invisible" orb-web that has both adhesive and fixed properties. Different types of silk in the orb-web have different functions, wherein the key to capturing a prey is the ball-like glue (glue ball), which coats the silk strands. This glue ball has highly versatile properties, but the mechanisms leading to its versatility remain unclear. The salts found in the web have been previously suggested to play an important role in terms of viscosity, not water. However, the distribution of salt and water in the glue ball has not yet been directly observed. Here, we mapped the salts in different states using a homemade time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (TOF-SIMS) with a high lateral resolution. To our surprise, the glue ball was found to contain little water. The functional transformation of the glue ball from a viscous glycoprotein (capturing prey) to a hardened protein (retaining prey) relies solely on the stimulation of mechanical forces. The phosphate is a key factor for its versatility.

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Section: Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loss of Phosphate Determines the Versatility of a Spider Orb-web Glue Ball

2019

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“…The second-order nonlinear optical effect is sensitive to highly oriented structures. 22,23 In our previous report, 12 On the other hand, we hypothesize that the molecules of the dragline may be further aligned by an external force. The SHG from the dragline should respond to the changes of the molecular alignment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…On the other hand, Figure 3 is in the plastic deformation yield phase of the dragline slightly above the breaking threshold. Hence, we suggest that the FIGURE 1 Schematic of the spiders spinning apparatus and structural hierarchy in silk assembling related to assembly into fibers [10][11][12][13][14] SHG enhancements presented in Figures 2 and 3 are from different origins. The phenomenon in Figure 3 can be explained by the following model.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The collection of the sample and the observation method for observing SHG were the same as that described in our previous report. 12 The excitation light pulse energy density was 16 μJ/mm 2 . We confirmed that the breaking of the draglines in Figures 2 and 3 is not caused by the incident light.…”

Section: Methods and Samplementioning

confidence: 99%

“…An anisotropic structure is the origin of the SHG. As shown in the bottom of Figure , a model was proposed that the randomly rotating arrangement around the fiber axis of the β‐sheets should give the anisotropy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Observation of spider silk by femtosecond pulse laser second harmonic generation microscopy

Zhao

Hien

et al. 2018

Surface & Interface Analysis

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An asymmetric β‐sheet structure of spider silk is said to induce optical second harmonic generation. In this paper, using an in‐house nonscanning type femtosecond pulse laser second harmonic generation microscope, we characterized the behavior of the β‐sheet of spider silk under an applied external force. The orientation of the β‐sheets was more unidirectional when the silk was extended. One of the origins of the high mechanical strength of the dragline is suggested to be the physical arrangement of its β‐sheets.

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Accumulation of cesium in glue balls of spiders' orb webs

Zhao

Morita

Sakamoto

2020

Surface & Interface Analysis

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Spiders capture prey by applying sticky coating substances to the spiral line of their orb webs. The main constituents of these sticky substances are glycoproteins and salts. This sticky substance is an intelligent material. Salt plays a key role regarding the properties of the sticky substance. Spiders typically weave a new orb webs by recycling used orb webs, and salts, typically salts of the alkali metals sodium and potassium, were therefore assumed to be recycled in this process. Here, we fed cesium (Cs) carbonate (which is an alkali metal salt) to spiders (Araneus ventricosus) to test this hypothesis. After feeding, we mapped the sticky substance in the spiders' orb web using an in‐house time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometer with high lateral resolution. The results showed that Cs ion was ingested and integrated into the sticky substance, and it showed properties similar to those of sodium ion and potassium ion.

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Second-order nonlinear optical microscopy of spider silk

Cited by 15 publications

References 53 publications

Loss of Phosphate Determines the Versatility of a Spider Orb-web Glue Ball

Loss of Phosphate Determines the Versatility of a Spider Orb-web Glue Ball

Observation of spider silk by femtosecond pulse laser second harmonic generation microscopy

Accumulation of cesium in glue balls of spiders' orb webs

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