In a major development, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool has been successfully used in spiders for the first time, resulting in the production of red fluorescent silk.
Spider silk is an amazing natural fiber. It has captivated scientists for decades due to its remarkable properties: it’s incredibly strong, elastic, lightweight, and biodegradable.
This unique combination of characteristics holds immense potential for new applications if we can understand and improve upon its natural qualities.
Manipulating spider silk production within a living spider has long been a hurdle, but new research by the University of Bayreuth is advancing this capability using gene-editing tools.
“We have demonstrated, for the first time worldwide, that CRISPR-Cas9 can be used to incorporate a desired sequence into spider silk proteins, thereby enabling the functionalisation of these silk fibres,” said Professor Dr. Thomas Scheibel, Chair of Biomaterials at the University of Bayreuth and senior author of the study.
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