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Article
Secondary Structure Adopted by the Gly-Gly-X Repetitive Regions of Dragline Spider Silk
International Journal of Molecular Science
  • Geoffrey M. Gray
  • Arjan van der Vaart
  • Chengchen Guo
  • Justin A. Jones, Utah State University
  • David Onofrei
  • Brian R. Cherry
  • Randolph V. Lewis, Utah State University
  • Jeffery L. Yarger
  • Gregory P. Holland
Document Type
Article
Publisher
Science Direct
Publication Date
9-14-2016
Disciplines
Abstract

Solid-state NMR and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are presented to help elucidate the molecular secondary structure of poly(Gly-Gly-X), which is one of the most common structural repetitive motifs found in orb-weaving dragline spider silk proteins. The combination of NMR and computational experiments provides insight into the molecular secondary structure of poly(Gly-Gly-X) segments and provides further support that these regions are disordered and primarily non-β-sheet. Furthermore, the combination of NMR and MD simulations illustrate the possibility for several secondary structural elements in the poly(Gly-Gly-X) regions of dragline silks, including β-turns, 310-helicies, and coil structures with a negligible population of α-helix observed.

Citation Information
Gray, G.M.; van der Vaart, A.; Guo, C.; Jones, J.; Onofrei, D.; Cherry, B.R.; Lewis, R.V.; Yarger, J.L.; Holland, G.P. Secondary Structure Adopted by the Gly-Gly-X Repetitive Regions of Dragline Spider Silk. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2016, 17, 2023.