• Animal cells and systems
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.85-91
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• 2006

The lynx spiders are free wandering spiders with long spines on their legs. They do not build web, but hunt small insects on plants. In spite of the facts that the wandering spiders do not produce webs for prey-catching, they also have silk apparatuses even though the functions are not fully defined. This paper describes the microstructural organization of the silk-spinning nozzles and its silk glands of the lynx spider, Oxyopes licenti, revealed by the field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The silkspinning nozzles of this spider were identified as three groups: ampullate, pyriform and aciniform glands. Each group of silk gland feed silk into one of the three pairs of spinnerets. Two pairs of major ampullate glands send secretory ductules to the anterior spinnerets, and another two pair of minor ampullate glands supply the middle spinnerets. In addition, the pyriform glands feed silk into the anterior spinnerets (25-30 pairs in females and 24-40 pairs in males), and the aciniform glands send ductules to the middle (9-12 pairs in females and 7-11 pairs in males) and the posterior spinnerets (16-20 pairs in females and 16-17 pairs in males). Among these, the ampullate one is the most predominate gland in both sexes. However the flagelliform and the aggregate glands which had the functions of cocoon production or adhesive thread production in other webbuilding spiders were not observed at both sexes of this spider.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.51
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• pp.11.1-11.9
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• 2021

Spider capture silk is a natural scaffolding material that outperforms most synthetic materials in terms of its combination of strength and elasticity. Among the various kinds of silk threads, cribellar thread is the most primitive prey-capturing type of spider web material. We analyzed the functional organization of the sieve-like cribellum spigots and specialized calamistral comb bristles for capture thread production by the titanoecid spider Nurscia albofasciata. The outer cribellar surface is covered with thousands of tiny spigots, and the cribellar plate produces non-sticky threads composed of thousands of fine nanofibers. N. albofasciata cribellar spigots are typically about 10 ㎛ long, and each spigot appears as a long individual shaft with a pagoda-like tiered tip. The five distinct segments comprising each spigot is a defining characteristic of this spider. This segmented and flexible structure not only allows for spigots to bend individually and join with adjacent spigots, but it also enables spigots to draw the silk fibrils from their cribella with rows of calamistral leg bristles to form cribellar prey-capture threads.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.109-115
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• 2009

The thermal stability and mechanical properties of Nephila clavata and Bassaniana decorata spider silks were measured and compared with those of aramid and polyester fibers. The thermal stability of the spider silk was lower than those of the commercial aramid and polyester fibers. However, the mechanical properties of the spider silk were far superior to that of the polyester fiber. The effect of the water content of the spider silk on its thermal stability and mechanical property was examined by conducting the silk to heat treatment at $100^{\circ}C$ under vacuum for various times. The results indicated that spider silk subjected to heat treatment for 1.5 hr had excellent thermal stability and mechanical property.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.327-333
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• 2002

Among the silk glands in the black widow spider Latrodectus mactans, the ampullate one is the most predominant gland in both sexes, and is com-posed of three functional parts - excretory duct, storage ampulla and convoluted tail regions. This experiment was performed using mechanical pulling stimulation with electric motor equipment to reveal a correlation between silk usage and silk producing system in this poisonous spider. The mature secretory products in glandular epithelium are closely packed and appear as electron-opaque spherical vesicles. A part of the vesicles with fine fibrillar paracrystalline texture seems to store some proteins which will function at the time of final assembly into fibrils. Most of the secretory silk products which originated from the rough endoplasmic reticula of the glandular epithelial cells are grown by fusion with surrounding small vesi-cles. However, the Golgi complex does not seem to play an important role in this process of secretion. According to progressive maturation of secre-tory silk product, these granules are progressively filled with a fine fibrillar material, and thus appear much more electron-dense than those of earlier states. When the secretory product is extruded from the glandular cavity, the epithelium is rapidly changed to a thinner layer of tall columnar cells with less definitive cell membranes. After extruding there ave a few secre-tory droplets within these cells, thus causing this region to stain much lighter.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.539-549
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• 1998

The silk glands of the spiders are of several types. Among the several types of spider's silk glands, the principal fibers used in constructing the eggcase are products of the tubuliform glands (TBG), which are present only in females. Development of these glands parallels maturations of the ovaries and fat bodies. In order to understand the mechanism of eggcase-silk production, this paper has examined the fine structural changes of the TBG during the period of egg maturation in the garden spider, Argiope aurentia. Between the two kinds of secretory granules observed in the glandular epithelium of the mature TBG, the electron-dense granules which have paracrystalline structure are revealed to be the precursors of the eggcase silk fibers. During the production of eggcase, rapid release of the secretory product occurs at apical surface by the mechanism of apocrine secretion. Moreover, secondary lysosomes appear due to the rapid disorganization of cellular components during the eggcase formation. Examinations of formed fibers indicate a multicomponent internal structure, and electron micrographs reveal each fiber contains numerous electron lucent fibrils embedded in an amorphous electron dense matrix. The secretory precursors are produced as separated vesicles via well-oriented rER, and no Golgi complex has been found in the glandular epithelial cells.

• The Korean Journal of Soil Zoology
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• v.11 no.1_2
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• pp.7-12
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• 2006

Asthma and allergic rhinitis due to outdoor spider mites are major health problems worldwide. The sensitization route to spider mites has not yet been well elucidated. We examined the microstructure of faecal pellets and silk of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, using a field emission scanning electron microscope. Black and white pellets of the two-spotted spider mites faeces contain a large amount of plant pigment waste products. Black faecal pellets are strawberry-shaped. White faecal pellets are silken threads. These pellets are likely to be the source of allergens of relevant mites because desiccated faeces particles probably disintegrate and become incorporated into dust particles more readily than whole bodies or encased internal organs. We conclude that the importance of spider mites in respiratory allergy needs emphasis.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.20-32
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• 1995

Ultrastructural aspects on the production of the duct cuticle and formation of cuticular precursors within silk glands of the orb web spider, Nephila clavata L. Koch(Araneae: Araneidae), were studied using transmission electron microscope. Four kinds of silk glands(ampullate glands, tubuliform glands, flageliform glands, and aggregate glands), which connected with large spinning tubes(spigots) of the spinnerets, were examined and discussed in terms of cuticle precursor production. Inner cuticular intima which composed of three layers of cuticles-subcuticle, endocuticle and exocuticle- were commonly originated from duct epithelial cells surrounding the cuticle. The morphology and internal textures of each cuticle precursors were very diverse according to the types of silk glands. However several common features were observed. These cuticle precursors were first produced from the rough endoplasmic reticulum and next concentration was accomplished through the Golgi complex. After this step, cuticle precursors were released to the cuticle layer as a form of secretory granule by the mechanism of merocrine secretion commonly.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2008

Among the four kinds of silk glands in the funnel-web spider Agelena limbata, the ampullate gland for dragline silk production is the most predominate one in both sexes, and is composed of three functional parts-excretory duct, storage ampulla and convoluted tail regions. Two pairs of major ampullate glands send secretory ductules to the anterior spinnerets, and another two pairs of minor ampullate glands supply the middle spinnerets. There are no apparent differences between the major and minor ampullate glands not only the external spigots but also their internal silk glands. However, the microstructure is very unique in this spider, because each gland has spherical shaped storage sac with twig-like branched tails. Nevertheless, the wall of the secretory region is similarly composed of a single layer of epithelial cells. The mature secretory silks in glandular epithelium are closely packed and accumulated as electron-opaque vesicles. Most of the secretory products which originated from the rough endoplasmic reticula(rER) are grown up by fusion with the surrounding small vesicles however, the Golgi complex does not seem to play an important role in this process of secretion.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.153-160
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• 2009

The fine structural characteristics of the silk spinning apparatus in the titanoecid spiders Nurscia albofasciata have been examined by the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). This titanoecid spiders have a pair of medially divided cribella just in front of the anterior spinnerets, and the surface of the cribellum is covered by hundred of tiny spigots which produce numerous cribellate silk fibrils. The cribellar silks are produced from the spigots of the sieve-like prate. and considered as a quite different sort of catching silk with dry-adhesive properties. The other types of the silk spigots were identified as follows: ampullate, pyriform and aciniform glands. Two pairs of major ampullate glands send secretory ductules to the anterior spinnerets, and another 1-2 pairs of minor ampullate glands supply the middle spinnerets. In addition, the pyriform glands send ductules to the anterior spinnerets, and two kinds of the aciniform spigots feed silk into the middle (A type) and the posterior spinnerets (both of A & B types), respectively.

• Polymer Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.588-598
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• 2005