Gene Editing Spiders Produce Red Fluorescent Silk

A research group in the University of Bayreuth's Biomaterials research has, for the first time, successfully applied the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool to spiders. Following the genetic modification, the spiders produced red fluorescent silk.

For their approach, Prof. Dr. Thomas Scheibel and his doctoral student Edgardo Santiago-Rivera developed an injection solution that included the components of the gene editing system as well as a gene sequence for a red fluorescent protein. This solution was injected into the eggs of unfertilized female spiders, which were then mated with males of the same species. As a result, the offspring of the gene-edited spiders showed red fluorescence in their dragline silk, clear evidence of the successful knock-in of the gene sequence into a silk protein.

“We have demonstrated, for the first time worldwide, that CRISPR-Cas9 can be used to incorporate a desired sequence into spider silk proteins, thereby enabling the functionalization of these silk fibers,” says Scheibel. He added that the ability to apply CRISPR gene editing to spider silk is very promising for materials science research – for example, it could be used to further increase the already high tensile strength of spider silk.

For more details, read the news release in the University of Bayreuth Press Office.