Differences in the Elastomeric Behavior of Polyglycine-Rich Regions of Spidroin 1 and 2 Proteins

Two different polyglycine-rich fragments were selected as representatives of major ampullate gland spidroins (MaSp) 1 and 2 types, and their behavior in a water-saturated environment was simulated within the framework of molecular dynamics (MD). The selected fragments are found in the sequences of the proteins MaSp1a and MaSp2.2a of Argiope aurantia with respective lengths of 36 amino acids (MaSp1a) and 50 amino acids (MaSp2.2s). The simulation took the fully extended β-pleated conformation as reference, and MD was used to determine the equilibrium configuration in the absence of external forces. Subsequently, MD were employed to calculate the variation in the distance between the ends of the fragments when subjected to an increasing force. Both fragments show an elastomeric behavior that can be modeled as a freely jointed chain with links of comparable length, and a larger number of links in the spidroin 2 fragment. It is found, however, that the maximum recovery force recorded from the spidroin 2 peptide (F(max) ≈ 400 pN) is found to be significantly larger than that of the spidroin 1 (F(max) ≈ 250 pN). The increase in the recovery force of the spidroin 2 polyglycine-rich fragment may be correlated with the larger values observed in the strain at breaking of major ampullate silk fibers spun by Araneoidea species, which contain spidroin 2 proteins, compared to the material produced by spider species that lack these spidroins (RTA-clade).