RUI: Collaborative Research: Functional Genomics of Spider Silk Synthesis and fiber performance within the Western Black Widow and among cob-web weaving spiders

在产丝生物中，蜘蛛对丝的依赖和使用丝的方式是无与伦比的。大多数蜘蛛有多种类型的丝腺，每种类型合成一种特定任务的纤维或胶。先前关于蜘蛛丝进化和机械功能的分子研究几乎完全集中在主要结构蛋白（丝蛋白）的属性上。然而，蜘蛛丝系统必然包括丝蛋白和非丝蛋白基因。因此，在本研究中，最先进的基因组学方法将被用于鉴定所有主要元素及其相对丰度，这些基因库是构成织网蜘蛛丝合成的基础。基因库的功能意义将通过将它们与三种不同物种产生的各种纤维类型的机械特性联系起来来评估。这些结果将加强对蜘蛛如何制造高性能丝的理解。这一知识与大规模生产用于工业和医疗用途的合成蜘蛛丝的生物技术努力有关。就教育影响而言，本研究将直接涉及主要本科院校（Washington & Lee）和少数族裔服务机构（UC Riverside）的本科生，并将其纳入课堂课程和学生研究项目。重要的是，这笔拨款将使本科生能够在各机构之间进行交叉培训，并在国家科学会议上发表演讲，这将使学生亲眼目睹研究的合作性质，并为专业生物学家提供职业机会。项目成果将通过将数据存入遗传数据库、在学术期刊上发表、纳入新闻稿以及向学童和一般公众介绍等方式广泛传播。

Among silk producing organisms, spiders are unparalleled in their reliance on silk and variety of ways they use silk. Most spiders have multiple types of silk glands, with each type synthesizing a task-specific fiber or glue. Previous molecular studies of spider silk evolution and mechanical function have focused almost entirely on the attributes of the main structural proteins (fibroins). However, the spider silk system necessarily includes fibroin as well as non-fibroin genes. Hence, in this research, state-of-the-art genomic methods will be used to identify all the major elements and their relative abundance within the gene repertoires that underlie silk synthesis in cob-web weaving spiders. The functional significance of the gene repertoires will be assessed by relating them to the mechanical properties of the various fiber types produced by three different species. These results will enhance the understanding of how spiders make their high-performance silks. This knowledge is relevant to the biotechnological efforts to mass-produce synthetic spider silk for industrial and medical applications. In terms of educational impact, this research will directly involve undergraduates at a primarily undergraduate institution (Washington & Lee) and a minority-serving institution (UC Riverside) through incorporation into classroom curricula and student research projects. Importantly, the grant will enable undergraduates to travel between the institutions for cross-training and to present at national science conferences, which will let the students eyewitness the collaborative nature of research and career opportunities for professional biologists. Project results will be broadly disseminated by depositing data into genetic databases, publication in scholarly journals, incorporation into press releases, and presentations to school children and the general public.