Extensometric properties of insect fibroins: The green lacewing cross-β, honeybee α-helical and greater waxmoth parallel-β conformations

Correlation between Fibroin Amino Acid Sequence and Physical Silk Properties

“…The silk of G. mellonella was slightly weaker and that of P. interpunctella considerably weaker. It should be noted that our values for B. mori and G. mellonella were 4.1-and 6.8-fold, respectively, lower than reported previously (11,10). The difference may be due to the use of other measuring equipment and different origin of the silk fibers.…”

“…The silks of B. mori and A. pernyi, which are used exclusively for cocoons, were reported to have a tensile strength of 7.4 ϫ 10 8 and 5.8 ϫ 10 8 newton⅐m Ϫ2 , and extensibility of 24 and 35%, respectively (11). By contrast, the silk of G. mellonella, which is spun both for larval tubes and cocoon, is 7.5 ϫ 10 8 newton⅐m Ϫ2 strong and 101% extensible (10).…”

“…The silk of G. mellonella was reported to be considerably more extensible and somewhat stronger than the silks of B. mori and A. pernyi (10,11). These properties are probably related to the mode of silk use in G. mellonella.…”

Hierarchical, multilayered cell walls reinforced by recycled silk cocoons enhance the structural integrity of honeybee combs

“…The mechanical properties of beeswax and the cell walls of the combs of African honeybees, Apis mellifera scutellata, have been studied using conventional tensile test methods (2,15). The stress-strain characteristics of the silk handdrawn from the living larvae of the bees have also been measured in air and different aqueous media (16,17). The detailed microstructures and the in situ properties of the walls, wax, silk, and the macroscopic properties of the honeybee combs have still not been clearly revealed, nor have their implications for biomimetic designs been fully explored.…”

“…The age of honeycombs affects the honeybee growth and brood survivorship (7). Thus, whilst the honeybee comb is a most studied natural cellular structure that has long fascinated mathematicians, physicists, and biologists (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18), it was not known until recently why the bees built the combs out of hexagonal cells (13). The mechanical properties of beeswax and the cell walls of the combs of African honeybees, Apis mellifera scutellata, have been studied using conventional tensile test methods (2,15).…”