Strong silk fibers produced from spiders and goat's milk

摘要

Fibers for medical sutures and dressings that are produced in a system that exploits the silk glands in spiders and the mammary glands in goats have reportedly been developed by Nexia Bitotechnologies Inc., Quebec City, Canada. Called BioSteel, the fibers and the transgenic process for producing them have been under development for several years. The process has two parts: first isolate the gene fro the spider that codes for the silk protein, then introduce the spider silk gene into a system that can read the genetic instructions and produce authentic silk proteins. The technology relies on the anatomical similarities between the spider silk gland and goat mammary glands. In both cases, epithelial cells manufacture and secrete water-soluble, complex proteins in large amounts. Nexia has successfully completed the first phase of its program by producing and secreting fully soluble silk protein in vitro within its patented MAC-T mammary cell lines in goats.