Characterization of the genome and silk-gland transcriptomes of Darwin's bark spider (Caerostris darwini).

ABSTRACT: Natural silks crafted by spiders comprise some of the most versatile materials known. Artificial silks-based on the sequences of their natural brethren-replicate some desirable biophysical properties and are increasingly utilized in commercial and medical applications today. To characterize the repertoire of protein sequences giving silks their biophysical properties and to determine the set of expressed genes across each unique silk gland contributing to the formation of natural silks, we report here draft genomic and transcriptomic assemblies of Darwin's bark spider, Caerostris darwini, an orb-weaving spider whose dragline is one of the toughest known biomaterials on Earth. We identify at least 31 putative spidroin genes, with expansion of multiple spidroin gene classes relative to the g

SUBMITTER: Babb PL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9170102 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature