Microdissection of Black Widow Spider Silk-producing Glands

Summary

Here we describe an efficient strategy to remove the silk-producing glands from the abdomen of female black widow spiders. This procedure allows the rapid isolation of the seven distinct silk-producing glands in a highly purified fashion, an important process for investigators studying spider silk production and fiber assembly.

Abstract

Modern spiders spin high-performance silk fibers with a broad range of biological functions, including locomotion, prey capture and protection of developing offspring ^1,2. Spiders accomplish these tasks by spinning several distinct fiber types that have diverse mechanical properties. Such specialization of fiber types has occurred through the evolution of different silk-producing glands, which function as small biofactories. These biofactories manufacture and store large quantities of silk proteins for fiber production. Through a complex series of biochemical events, these silk proteins are converted from a liquid into a solid material upon extrusion.

Mechanical studies have demonstrated that spider silks are stronger than high-tensile steel ³. Analyses to understand the relationship between the structure and function of spider silk threads have revealed that spider silk consists largely of proteins, or fibroins, that have block repeats within their protein sequences ⁴. Common molecular signatures that contribute to the incredible tensile strength and extensibility of spider silks are being unraveled through the analyses of translated silk cDNAs. Given the extraordinary material properties of spider silks, research labs across the globe are racing to understand and mimic the spinning process to produce synthetic silk fibers for commercial, military and industrial applications. One of the main challenges to spinning artificial spider silk in the research lab involves a complete understanding of the biochemical processes that occur during extrusion of the fibers from the silk-producing glands.

Here we present a method for the isolation of the seven different silk-producing glands from the cobweaving black widow spider, which includes the major and minor ampullate glands [manufactures dragline and scaffolding silk] ^5,6, tubuliform [synthesizes egg case silk] ^7,8, flagelliform [unknown function in cob-weavers], aggregate [makes glue silk], aciniform [synthesizes prey wrapping and egg case threads] ⁹ and pyriform [produces attachment disc silk] ¹⁰. This approach is based upon anesthetizing the spider with carbon dioxide gas, subsequent separation of the cephalothorax from the abdomen, and microdissection of the abdomen to obtain the silk-producing glands. Following the separation of the different silk-producing glands, these tissues can be used to retrieve different macromolecules for distinct biochemical analyses, including quantitative real-time PCR, northern- and western blotting, mass spectrometry (MS or MS/MS) analyses to identify new silk protein sequences, search for proteins that participate in the silk assembly pathway, or use the intact tissue for cell culture or histological experiments.

Protocol

1. Anesthetizing the spider and isolation of the abdomen

1. Transfer the spider from a glass jar into a cardboard box lined with plastic (Figure 1A). We typically collect spiders from woodpiles, garages or bushes and house them in the lab in glass jars. Because the spider can not climb up the plastic lining, it provides an efficient method to transfer the spider from a glass jar or coffee can into a smaller vial for anesthetizing purposes. While handling the spider at this point, you should be wearing two pairs of latex gloves or gardening gloves for safety purposes.
2. While the spider is in the box lined with plastic, approach the spider from i....

Discussion

Our methodology for the microdissection of the silk-producing glands from the black widow spider offers an effective means to obtain highly purified silk-producing glands. Dissections can be completed in 1.5 to 3 hrs, yielding a complete set of the seven distinct silk-producing glands from cobweavers. Obtaining highly purified silk-gland samples allows investigators the ability to perform a broad range of biochemical studies, including identification of new silk or chaperone proteins stored within the glandular luminal.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Sodium chloride	Electron Microscopy Sciences	SX0420-1	0.1 M in water
Diethyl pyrocarbonate	Sigma-Aldrich	D-5758 - 5 ml	0.1% v/v
Sodium citrate	Sigma-Aldrich	S1804 - 1 kg	0.015 M in water
Dissecting microscope	Leica Microsystems	Leica MZ16
Digital microscope camera	Leica Microsystems	DFC320	Software - Leica Application Suite v2.8.1
Vannas scissors	World Precision Instruments, Inc.	500260
Stainless steel forceps	World Precision Instruments, Inc.	501764	Mini Dumont #M5S
Insect pins	Indigo Instruments	33414-2	Insect pins #2
Small or large dissection dishes	Living Systems Instrumentation	DD-50-S or DD-90-S	52 mm diameter x 18 mm H (Sylgard Depth ~6mm) or 93 mm x 22 mm
Drosophila culture vials	Carolina Biological	FR-17-3076	Size is 31.75 mm diameter x 101.6 mm