Abstract #3275
Investigating the properties of silk formation in Bombyx mori silkworms using T1 and T2 image maps.
Steven Reynolds 1 , Peter R Laity 2 , Ben Curie 1 , Chris Holland 2 , and Martyn N Paley 1
1
Academic Unit of Radiology, University of
Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom,
2
Department
Materials Science and Engineering, University of
Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Silkworms form fibres from a proteinaceous mixture, silk
dope, in two glands. The posterior section of the gland
secretes proteins (fibroin), which are stored in the
mid-section before being spun through a tapered silk
duct. Rheology of extracted silk dope show chemical and
mechanical changes during spinning. We determine the
T1/T2 per voxel in live silkworms along the gland. The
T1 and T2 varied smoothly along the gland, with T1
significantly different between the tapered and middle
sections. Study of silk formation would help in
developing novel fibre spinning techniques. Furthermore,
fibroin aggregation is a potential model for
amyloidogenesis.
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