Silk Fibroin Proteins: Structure, Function, and Evolution

Abstract

Introduction Historical Outline Biological Aspects Mechanical Properties Protein Sequences: Conservation, Divergence, and Convergence Major Ampullate Silk Proteins Minor Ampullate Silk Proteins Flagelliform Silk Proteins Sequence Comparisons Between Spider Species Biophysical Studies Protein Structure–Function Relationships Expression of Synthetic Spider Silk Proteins Strategies for Synthetic Gene Construction Expression of Spider Silk Proteins Materials Studies with Expressed Proteins Outlook and Perspectives Keywords: spider silk; protein; DNA; motif; beta-sheet; beta-spiral