Class
Article
College
College of Engineering
Faculty Mentor
Randy Lewis
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Piriform Silk Production Most of the silk proteins originating from silk-producing glands of Nephila clavipes have been widely studied. An exception to this is Piriform silk, which originates from a relatively small gland near the spinneret. Piriform is used in the web construction process to adhere other fibers to various surfaces. Using a cDNA library generated from the Piriform gland, we seek to express the Piriform protein in E. coli. The Piriform protein itself contains two structural motifs; a PxP motif believed to contribute strength to the fiber, and a QQSSVAQS motif of unknown function. Synthetic proteins will be generated from these motifs. Production of all proteins will be scaled up in order to produce a sufficient amount for fiber-spinning studies. The synthetic proteins will then be compared to the full Piriform protein in order to elucidate the functions of the structural motifs within the entire fiber.
Location
The South Atrium
Start Date
4-12-2018 10:30 AM
End Date
4-12-2018 11:45 AM
Synthetic Piriform Spider Silk Protein Production
The South Atrium
Piriform Silk Production Most of the silk proteins originating from silk-producing glands of Nephila clavipes have been widely studied. An exception to this is Piriform silk, which originates from a relatively small gland near the spinneret. Piriform is used in the web construction process to adhere other fibers to various surfaces. Using a cDNA library generated from the Piriform gland, we seek to express the Piriform protein in E. coli. The Piriform protein itself contains two structural motifs; a PxP motif believed to contribute strength to the fiber, and a QQSSVAQS motif of unknown function. Synthetic proteins will be generated from these motifs. Production of all proteins will be scaled up in order to produce a sufficient amount for fiber-spinning studies. The synthetic proteins will then be compared to the full Piriform protein in order to elucidate the functions of the structural motifs within the entire fiber.