Synthetic Spider Silk Production on a Laboratory Scale

Yang Hsia; Eric Gnesa; Ryan Pacheco; Kristin Kohler; Felicia Jeffery; Craig Vierra

doi:10.3791/4191

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Method Article

Synthetic Spider Silk Production on a Laboratory Scale

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DOI:

10.3791/4191

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July 18th, 2012

Yang Hsia¹ , Eric Gnesa¹ , Ryan Pacheco¹ , Kristin Kohler¹ , Felicia Jeffery¹ , Craig Vierra¹

¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific

Summary

Despite the outstanding mechanical and biochemical properties of spider silks, this material cannot be harvested in large quantities by conventional means. Here we describe an efficient strategy to spin artificial spider silk fibers, which is an important process for investigators studying spider silk production and their use as next-generation biomaterials.

Abstract

As society progresses and resources become scarcer, it is becoming increasingly important to cultivate new technologies that engineer next generation biomaterials with high performance properties. The development of these new structural materials must be rapid, cost-efficient and involve processing methodologies and products that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. Spiders spin a multitude of different fiber types with diverse mechanical properties, offering a rich source of next generation engineering materials for biomimicry that rival the best manmade and natural materials. Since the collection of large quantities of natural spider silk is impractical, synthetic silk production has the ability to provide scientists with access to an unlimited supply of threads. Therefore, if the spinning process can be streamlined and perfected, artificial spider fibers have the potential use for a broad range of applications ranging from body armor, surgical sutures, ropes and cables, tires, strings for musical instruments, and composites for aviation and aerospace technology. In order to advance the synthetic silk production process and to yield fibers that display low variance in their material properties from spin to spin, we developed a wet-spinning protocol that integrates expression of recombinant spider silk proteins in bacteria, purification and concentration of the proteins, followed by fiber extrusion and a mechanical post-spin treatment. This is the first visual representation that reveals a step-by-step process to spin and analyze artificial silk fibers on a laboratory scale. It also provides details to minimize the introduction of variability among fibers spun from the same spinning dope. Collectively, these methods will propel the process of artificial silk production, leading to higher quality fibers that surpass natural spider silks.

Introduction

Spider silk has extraordinary mechanical properties that out performs several manmade materials, including high-tensile steel, Kevlar and Nylon.¹ Spiders spin at least 6-7 different fiber types that display diverse mechanical properties, each designed with varying amounts of tensile strength and extensibility to perform specific biological tasks.² Research scientists are rapidly pursuing the use of spider silks as next generation biomaterials because of their outstanding mechanical properties, their biocompatibility, and their non-toxic and green-material nature.^3,4 Because of the cannibalistic and venomous nature of arachnids, harvest....