Journal
BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
Volume 14, Issue 10, Pages -Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/biot.201900138
Keywords
bioinformatics; evolution; mechanical properties; repetitive sequences; spider silk
Funding
- Marine Biomaterials Research Center grant from Marine Biotechnology Program of the Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion - Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea
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The mechanical properties of spider silks have diverged as spiders have diversely speciated. Because the main components of silks are proteins, it is valuable to investigate their sequences. However, silk sequences have been regarded as difficult information to analyze due to their imbalance and imperfect tandem repeats (ITR). Here, an in silico approach is applied to systemically analyze a group of silk sequences. It is found that every time new spider groups emerge, unique trimer motifs appear. These trimer motifs are used to find additional clues of evolution and to determine relationships with mechanical properties. For the first time, crucial evidence is provided that shows silk sequences coevolved with spider species and the mechanical properties of their fibers to adapt to new living environments. This novel approach can be used as a platform for analyzing other groups of ITR-harboring proteins and to obtain information for the design of tailor-made fibrous protein materials.
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