Scientists Make Silkworms 'Spin Spider webs'
Scientists have genetically engineered silkworms to make artificial spider silk.
It
is hoped the breakthrough could lead to the development of stronger
fibres for textiles, bandages for burn victims and bullet-proof vests.
The
GM silkworms spin tough fibres containing spider silk proteins that are
more elastic and extensible, making it more suitable for use in a range
of medical applications.
Territorialism and cannibalism among spiders pose challenges to spider farming as a viable means of manufacturing silk.
Dr
Donald Jarvis, of the University of Wyoming in the United States, and
colleagues created transgenic silkworms expressing spider gene
sequences.
Spider
silk proteins have been long produced in transgenic bacterial, yeast,
plant, insect and mammalian cells. However, previous attempts to
incorporate them into fibres spun by silkworms led to relatively low
yields.
But
the new technique, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, led to fibres at least as tough as spider silk and stronger
than those spun by silkworms.
So silkworms may be used as factories for manufacturing tough silk fibres containing spider silk proteins, said the researchers.
Dr
Jarvis said: "Spider silks have enormous potential as biomaterials for
various applications, but serious obstacles to spider farming preclude
the natural manufacturing approach.
"Thus, there is a need to develop an effective biotechnological approach for spider silk fibre production.
"In
addition to being used as sutures, silk fibres hold great potential as
biomaterials for wound dressings, artificial ligaments, tendons, tissue
scaffolds, microcapsules, and other applications.
"Silkworms
are the current biological source of silk sutures, but spider silk
fibres have superior mechanical properties that are ideal for procedures
requiring finer sutures, such as ocular, neurological, and cosmetic
surgeries.
