Analytical Sciences

Molecular Structural Analysis of Spider’s Capture Thread and Viscid Droplets Studied by Microscopic FT-IR Spectroscopy

Hironobu YABE,* Norihisa KATAYAMA,* and Mitsuhiro MIYAZAWA**

*Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, 1 Yamanohata, Mizuho, Nagoya 467-8501, Japan
**Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, 1-2 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan

The molecular structural analysis of capture thread, including its viscid droplets of oriental golden orb-web spider Nephila clavata, has been performed by microscopic FT-IR spectroscopy. The obtained spectra of capture threads with and without viscid droplets indicate that the features in the region of 1400 – 1000 cm⁻¹ will be useful as marker bands for the degree of the dissolving of viscid droplet; further, the bands at 1395 and 1335 cm⁻¹ are attributable to the components of anchoring granules located at the inner side of viscid droplets. By recrystallization and its infrared measurements, the main chemical component of viscid droplets is assignable to glycosylated proline. It has also been demonstrated that the components of the anchoring granule of a viscid droplet are decomposed by UV irradiation, and that the molecular conformation of silk fiber protein of a capture thread is denatured at over 60°C, whereas the viscid droplets on a capture thread retain their structure.

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