Nature Search

Viscoelastic solids explain spider web stickiness

Spider silk adhesion is reliant on sticky droplets composed of glycoproteins surrounded by an aqueous coat. Sahni and co-workers show that these droplets behave as viscoelastic solids that enable large, rate-dependent adhesive forces capable of trapping fast- and slow-moving prey.

Vasav Sahni
Todd A. Blackledge
Ali Dhinojwala
Research17 May 2010
Nature Communications

Volume: 1, P: 1-4
Sequential origin in the high performance properties of orb spider dragline silk

Todd A. Blackledge
José Pérez-Rigueiro
Manuel Elices
ResearchOpen Access29 Oct 2012
Scientific Reports

Volume: 2, P: 1-5
Biomaterial evolution parallels behavioral innovation in the origin of orb-like spider webs

Todd A. Blackledge
Matjaž Kuntner
Ingi Agnarsson
ResearchOpen Access12 Nov 2012
Scientific Reports

Volume: 2, P: 1-6
Changes in the Adhesive Properties of Spider Aggregate Glue During the Evolution of Cobwebs

Vasav Sahni
Todd A. Blackledge
Ali Dhinojwala
ResearchOpen Access21 Jul 2011
Scientific Reports

Volume: 1, P: 1-8
Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in over 7,000 individuals with critical COVID-19 are used to identify 16 independent variants that are associated with severe illness in COVID-19.

Athanasios Kousathanas
Erola Pairo-Castineira
J. Kenneth Baillie
ResearchOpen Access07 Mar 2022
Nature

Volume: 607, P: 97-103
GWAS and meta-analysis identifies 49 genetic variants underlying critical COVID-19

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).

Erola Pairo-Castineira
Konrad Rawlik
J. Kenneth Baillie
ResearchOpen Access17 May 2023
Nature

Volume: 617, P: 764-768
Mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

Mari E. K. Niemi
Juha Karjalainen
Chloe Donohue
ResearchOpen Access08 Jul 2021
Nature

Volume: 600, P: 472-477
Cobweb-weaving spiders produce different attachment discs for locomotion and prey capture

Spider webs consist of scaffolding silk, which supports the cobweb, and gumfoot silk, which can detach easily from the web upon contact with prey. Here, these different mechanical demands are shown to be met by silk attachments of two distinct architectures using the same pyriform silk secretions.

Vasav Sahni
Jared Harris
Ali Dhinojwala
Research02 Oct 2012
Nature Communications

Volume: 3, P: 1-7
Material properties of evolutionary diverse spider silks described by variation in a single structural parameter

Rodrigo Madurga
Gustavo R. Plaza
José Pérez-Rigueiro
ResearchOpen Access12 Jan 2016
Scientific Reports

Volume: 6, P: 1-8
Functional trade-offs in cribellate silk mediated by spinning behavior

Peter Michalik
Dakota Piorkowski
Martín J. Ramírez
ResearchOpen Access24 Jun 2019
Scientific Reports

Volume: 9, P: 1-6
Ubiquitous distribution of salts and proteins in spider glue enhances spider silk adhesion

Gaurav Amarpuri
Vishal Chaurasia
Ali Dhinojwala
ResearchOpen Access12 Mar 2015
Scientific Reports

Volume: 5, P: 1-7
Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an anti-inflammatory drug proposed as a treatment for COVID19. Here the results are reported from a randomised trial testing DMF treatment in 713 patients hospitalised with COVID-19. DMF was not associated with any improvement in day 5 outcomes.

Peter Sandercock
Janet Darbyshire
Martin J. Landray
ResearchOpen Access31 Jan 2024
Nature Communications

Volume: 15, P: 1-13
Hygroscopic compounds in spider aggregate glue remove interfacial water to maintain adhesion in humid conditions

Spider aggregate glue avoids failure in humid environments but the fundamental mechanism behind it is still unknown. Here, the authors demonstrate that humidity-dependent structural changes of glycoproteins and sequestering of liquid water by low molecular mass compounds prevents adhesion failure of the glue in humid environments.

Saranshu Singla
Gaurav Amarpuri
Ali Dhinojwala
ResearchOpen Access22 May 2018
Nature Communications

Volume: 9, P: 1-8
Rainbow peacock spiders inspire miniature super-iridescent optics

Several animals and plants get their often spectacular colouration and iridescence from structural colouration. Here, Hsiung et al. show the 3-dimensional nanostructures that produce the rainbow colours on the abdomen of miniature peacock spiders.

Bor-Kai Hsiung
Radwanul Hasan Siddique
Todd A. Blackledge
ResearchOpen Access22 Dec 2017
Nature Communications

Volume: 8, P: 1-8
A second update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

Masahiro Kanai
Shea J. Andrews
Matthew Solomonson
ResearchOpen Access06 Sept 2023
Nature

Volume: 621, P: E7-E26
Genetic mechanisms of critical illness in COVID-19

A genome-wide association study of critically ill patients with COVID-19 identifies genetic signals that relate to important host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage that may be targeted by repurposing drug treatments.

Erola Pairo-Castineira
Sara Clohisey
J. Kenneth Baillie
Research11 Dec 2020
Nature

Volume: 591, P: 92-98
Author Correction: GWAS and meta-analysis identifies 49 genetic variants underlying critical COVID-19

Erola Pairo-Castineira
Konrad Rawlik
J. Kenneth Baillie
Amendments and CorrectionsOpen Access11 Jul 2023
Nature

Volume: 619, P: E61
A randomised study of adjuvant chemotherapy after mantle radiotherapy in supradiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease PS IA-IIB: A report from the Manchester lymphoma group

H Anderson
D P Deakin
D Crowther
Research01 Jun 1984
British Journal of Cancer

Volume: 49, P: 695-702
The transcriptome of Darwin’s bark spider silk glands predicts proteins contributing to dragline silk toughness

Jessica Garb et al. report the transcriptome of the major ampullate silk gland of Darwin’s bark spider, known for its extraordinarily tough silk. They identify a novel predicted protein, MaSp4, which is highly divergent compared to related proteins in other species and has properties predicted to confer silk extensibility.

Jessica E. Garb
Robert A. Haney
Todd A. Blackledge
ResearchOpen Access25 Jul 2019
Communications Biology

Volume: 2, P: 1-8

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