Silk Properties Determined by Gland-Specific Expression of a Spider Fibroin Gene Family

作者：Paul A. Guerette, David G. Ginzinger, Bernhard H. F. Weber, John M. Gosline · 发表于：Science · 年份：1996 · DOI：10.1126/science.272.5258.112 · 被引用次数：410 · 研究领域：Silk-based biomaterials and applications、Silkworms and Sericulture Research、Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior

Spiders produce a variety of silks that range from Lycra-like elastic fibers to Kevlar-like superfibers. A gene family from the spider Araneus diadematus was found to encode silk-forming proteins (fibroins) with different proportions of amorphous glycine-rich domains and crystal domains built from poly(alanine) and poly(glycine-alanine) repeat motifs. Spiders produce silks of different composition by gland-specific expression of this gene family, which allows for a range of mechanical properties according to the crystal-forming potential of the constituent fibroins. These principles of fiber property control may be important in the development of genetically engineered structural proteins.