Spiders produce a variety of high performance structural fibers with mechanical properties unmatched in the world - comparable to the best synthetic fibers produced by modern technology. In order to manufacture synthetic silks with properties mimicking natural silks, a complete understanding of the molecules incorporated into the fibers and the elements that control their production is required. These studies will utilize a multidisciplinary approach to identify silk protein sequences assembled into egg case silk (also called tubuliform silk), as well as identify regulatory switches that regulate their expression in the black widow spider, Latrodectus hesperus. New silk genes will be isolated using genetic approaches and silk protein-protein interactions will be analyzed using co-immunoprecipitation and spectroscopy, leading to new information about the structural properties of silk fibers. Collectively, these studies will reveal new clues that can be implemented into expression systems for large-scale production of silk proteins for industrial use.
Broader impacts of the program include training graduate, undergraduate and high school students in a wide range of modern molecular techniques and applications. Disadvantaged and/or underrepresented minority undergraduate students will be recruited from introductory and advanced biology and chemistry classes, to gain direct laboratory experience through participation in the research. Local high school students will be recruited for summer internships through a connection with the Project SEED (Summer Educational Experience for the Disadvantaged), a social outreach program from the American Chemistry Society. Community involvement also represents a strong component of the research and educational experience, as individuals from the local community learn about the extraordinary properties of the silk fibers through the participation of the collection of the spiders. Data generated by this project will be disseminated in scientific journals, local high schools, newspapers, and research conferences. In summary, the research project will enhance our understanding on spider silk biology and provide rich training for a wide range of individuals at different educational levels.
This award is funded jointly by Genes and Genome Systems and Biomolecular Systems in MCB.
