Spider silk is spun by silkworms for the first time, offering a green alternative to synthetic fibers
Spider silk is spun by silkworms for the first time, offering a green alternative to synthetic fibers
Scientists in China have synthesized spider silk from genetically modified silkworms, producing fibers six times tougher than the Kevlar used in bulletproof vests. The study, published September 20 in the journal Matter, is the first to successfully produce full-length spider silk proteins using sil...
cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/3918432
Ah, Crispr-Cas9 is convenient.
To spin spider silk from silkworms, Mi and his team introduced spider silk protein genes into the DNA of silkworms so that it would be expressed in their glands using a combination of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology and hundreds of thousands of microinjections into fertilized silkworm eggs. The microinjections posed “one of the most significant challenges” in the study, said Mi, but when he saw the silkworms’ eyes glowing red under the fluorescence microscope—a sign that the gene editing had been successful—he was overjoyed.
Not scary sciFi at all…