Abstract Biological tissues in animals generally consist an extracellular matrix often with cells embedded in it. These materials are primarily comprised of different protein building blocks, as well as polysaccharide and mineral components in certain cases. Prominent examples include tendon, skin and bone. In contrast, other organisms fabricate protein-based materials that function extracorporeally – that is, outside the body and without embedded living cells. Typical examples include spider and insect silk or the byssus filaments by which mussels attach to rocks. Regardless of whether these materials function inside or outside the body and whether or not they contain living cells, natural protein-based materials perform essential life functions that are very often highly dependent on their load-bearing mechanical properties. In the current review, we explore the relationship between specific features of these protein building blocks (e.g. their sequence, conformation, cross-linking and hierarchical structure) and the higher-level mechanical function of the materials that they comprise. The extracted structure-property relationships have crucial importance for understanding the biological function of these materials, but also have implications for bio-inspired design of new polymers and composites, as well as relevance for ongoing efforts to bioengineer artificial tissues.

中文翻译：

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天然承重蛋白材料

摘要 动物的生物组织通常由细胞外基质组成，细胞外基质通常嵌入其中。在某些情况下，这些材料主要由不同的蛋白质构建块以及多糖和矿物质成分组成。突出的例子包括肌腱、皮肤和骨骼。相比之下，其他生物体制造出在体外发挥作用的蛋白质材料，即在体外发挥作用且没有嵌入活细胞。典型的例子包括蜘蛛丝和昆虫丝或贻贝附着在岩石上的byssus丝。无论这些材料是在体内还是体外发挥作用，也不管它们是否含有活细胞，基于天然蛋白质的材料执行基本的生命功能，这些功能通常高度依赖于它们的承载机械性能。在当前的审查中，我们探讨了这些蛋白质构建块的特定特征（例如它们的序列、构象、交联和分层结构）与它们所包含的材料的更高级别的机械功能之间的关系。提取的结构-性能关系对于理解这些材料的生物功能至关重要，但也对新聚合物和复合材料的仿生设计以及生物工程人造组织的持续努力具有相关性。