title: To spin or not to spin: spider silk fibers and more.
abstract: Spider silk fibers have a sophisticated hierarchical structure composed of proteins with highly repetitive sequences. Their extraordinary mechanical properties, defined by a unique combination of strength and extensibility, are superior to most man-made fibers. Therefore, spider silk has fascinated mankind for thousands of years. However, due to their aggressive territorial behavior, farming of spiders is not feasible on a large scale. For this reason, biotechnological approaches were recently developed for the production of recombinant spider silk proteins. These recombinant proteins can be assembled into a variety of morphologies with a great range of properties for technical and medical applications. Here, the different approaches of biotechnological production and the advances in material processing toward various applications will be reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl Biomaterialien, Fakultät für Ingenieurswissenschaften, Universität Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Doblhofer
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl Biomaterialien, Fakultät für Ingenieurswissenschaften, Universität Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany.
authors.forename: Aniela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heidebrecht
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl Biomaterialien, Fakultät für Ingenieurswissenschaften, Universität Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany. thomas.scheibel@bm.uni-bayreuth.de.|Institut für Bio-Makromoleküle (bio-mac), Universität Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany. thomas.scheibel@bm.uni-bayreuth.de.|Bayreuther Zentrum für Kolloide und Grenzflächen (BZKG), Universität Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany. thomas.scheibel@bm.uni-bayreuth.de.|Bayreuther Zentrum für Molekulare Biowissenschaften (BZMB), Universität Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany. thomas.scheibel@bm.uni-bayreuth.de.|Bayreuther Materialzentrum (BayMAT), Universität Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany. thomas.scheibel@bm.uni-bayreuth.de.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Scheibel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D005349:Fibroins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013112:Spiders / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D005349:Fibroins
keywords: Protein morphologies; Recombinant protein production; Spider silk