Biologists crack genetic code for specialized spider silk.(OF MATERIAL INTEREST)

Advanced Materials & Processes,  December, 2005  

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Two biologists at the University of California, Riverside, have uncovered the molecular structure of the gene for the protein that female spiders use to make their silken egg cases. Assistant professor of biology Cheryl Hayashi and postdoctoral researcher Jessica Garb characterized the variants of the protein (TuSp1) used by 12 species of spiders to make egg-case silk.

They found strong similarities in the lengthy amino acid sequences of the proteins among species that diverged at least 125 million years ago. The findings are said to be important, in part, because the mechanical ...

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