Abstract
Silk proteins were taken from the major ampullate glands found in the abdomens of Nephila clavata spiders that were collected on different days during an autumn season in Japan. The molecular weights of the silk proteins taken from 125 spiders were determined under a reduced state using electrophoresis. It was found that the molecular weight of N. clavata spider silk protein changed depending on the time period during the autumn season and showed a peak value of ~300 kDa during mating season. However, the molecular weight of N. clavata spider silk protein was, on average, ~270 kDa except during mating season. Such a peak in the molecular weight for female N. clavata may be ascribed to the necessity for building mechanically strong orb-webs, which consist of silk with relatively large proteins for the purpose of accepting many male spiders.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the JSPS KAKENHI grant numbers 24655105 and 25288102. The authors are grateful to Professor Hajime Mori of the Kyoto Institute of Technology for kind supply of silkwoms.
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Osaki, S., Yamamoto, K., Matsuhira, T. et al. The effects of seasonal changes on the molecular weight of Nephila clavata spider silk. Polym J 48, 659–663 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/pj.2015.138
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pj.2015.138
