Part:BBa_K4439007

mSA-N[AS]4C-CBD-10xHis

Abstract

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Sequence and Features

Assembly Compatibility:

• 10
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[10]
• 12
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[12]
• 21
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[21]
• 23
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[23]
• 25
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[25]
• 1000
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[1000]

Protein's Characterization

Description

• Silk proteins demonstrate interesting mechanical properties such as toughness, strength, lightweight, biodegradability and the possibility to produce different morphologies (fibers, foams, capsules, films). In addition to this, silk proteins comprise a high percentage of the amino acids glycine, serine and alanine which have an intermediate hydrophobicity.

• Green lacewing insects produce two types of silk: one produced by the larvae (cocoon) and the other by adult females (egg-stalk). The adult produced silk acts as a protective shelter and structural support for egg stalks, which are two ideal properties for a waterproof coating for our aerogel.

• In green lacewings, two serine- and glycine-rich silk proteins (Ma1XB1 and Ma1XB2) have been identified, both with highly repetitive core domains and small terminal domains. The core domain’s structure is rich in β-sheets with an approximative sheet-length of four amino acids between turns. These form repeating structural units constituting β-helices which have a significant positive correlation with the proteins’ surface hydrophobicity. A consensus motif for the core domain of Ma1XB2 (named [AS])had already been generated. Furthermore, a recombinant protein constituted by 8 repetitions of this [AS] module had also already been expressed in E. coli. As this artificial egg-stalk protein carried similar properties to full length Ma1XB2, we chose to work with it.

Usage and Biology

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Modeling

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Experiments

Figure 1 | Protein Purification Protocol using Ni-NTA Beads

• For more information, check out our Protocols page on our wiki.

Figure 2 | Diagram of Procedure for Silk Biofilm Fabrication

• For more information, check out our Protocols page on our wiki.

Lab's Tips and Tricks

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Results

Expression

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Purification

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Biofilm Fabrication

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Hydrophobicity tests

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