have unravelled the secret of what makes spider webs sticky.
According to researchers, the findings could lead to the development
of substances that could one day be synthesised to produce surgical
adhesives, reports New Scientist.
The ultra-strong glue, which the spider secretes onto the central
prey-capturing spiral threads of its web, is known to be based on a
complex sugary polymer called a glycoprotein.
However, until now no one knew how this supersticky molecule did its
job, or which genes coded for it.
Now, Omer Choresh and colleagues at the University of Wyoming in
Laramie have offered some clues.
They took glue-secreting cells from the glands of golden orb-web
spiders and extracted messenger RNA from them.
They then used this to create a complementary DNA sequence to identify
the genes potentially involved in glue creation.
They discovered that the sticky glycoprotein is formed from two
separate proteins, each 110 amino acids long, that seem to be encoded
by genes on opposite strands of the very same sequence of DNA.
According to Choresh, by cloning these genes and amplifying them, it
should be possible to create a whole new class of iocompatible glues.
(ANI)
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Alizio
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