ArticleNature communications2024
Metal ions guide the production of silkworm silk fibers.
Article in Nature communications, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Iron-Chelated Silk Microfiber/Hydrogel Composites as Injectable, Magnetically Aligned Cell Guidance Scaffolds.Advanced healthcare materials · 2026Article
- The stage-wise macromolecular assembly and structure evolution of silk along the silk gland.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Structural and immunogenic evaluation of silk proteins from Bombyx mori using advanced bioinformatics and deep learning for biomaterials applications.Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology · 2026Article
- pH-triggered clustering regulates β-sheet activation in silk assembly.Communications chemistry · 2026Article
- Spider silk-based structural proteins as tough, biodegradable, and sustainable polymers.Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and biological sciences · 2026Review
- Silkworm (Bombyx mori) gut bacteria respond positively to exposure of magnetic FeAnimal microbiome · 2025Article
- Influence of metal ions on the economic parameters of mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae).Biologia futura · 2025Article
- Consumption of Sericin Enhances the Bioavailability and Metabolic Efficacy of Chromium Picolinate in Rats.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Fine Structural Analysis of Degummed Fibroin Fibers Reveals Its Superior Mechanical Capabilities.ChemSusChem · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Silk fibers' unique mechanical properties have made them desirable materials, yet their formation mechanism remains poorly understood. While ions are known to support silk fiber production, their exact role has thus far eluded discovery. Here, we use cryo-electron microscopy coupled with elemental analysis to elucidate the changes in the composition and spatial localization of metal ions during silk evolution inside the silk gland. During the initial protein secretion and storage stages, ions are homogeneously dispersed in the silk gland. Once the fibers are spun, the ions delocalize from the fibroin core to the sericin-coating layer, a process accompanied by protein chain alignment and increased feedstock viscosity. This change makes the protein more shear-sensitive and initiates the liquid-to-solid transition. Selective metal ion doping modifies silk fibers' mechanical performance. These findings enhance our understanding of the silk fiber formation mechanism, laying the foundations for developing new concepts in biomaterial design.
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Registered trials
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