Origin, structure, and composition of the spider major ampullate silk fiber revealed by genomics, proteomics, and single-cell and spatial transcriptomics.

ABSTRACT: Spiders produce nature's toughest fiber using renewable components at ambient temperatures and with water as solvent, making it highly interesting to replicate for the materials industry. Despite this, much remains to be understood about the bioprocessing and composition of spider silk fibers. Here, we identify 18 proteins that make up the spiders' strongest silk type, the major ampullate fiber. Single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics revealed that the secretory epithelium of the gland harbors six cell types. These cell types are confined to three distinct glandular zones that produce specific combinations of silk proteins. Image analysis of histological sections showed that the secretions from the three zones do not mix, and proteomics analysis revealed that these secretion

SUBMITTER: Sonavane S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11323941 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature