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For the first time, Bayreuth’s Biomaterials research group has genetically modified spiders with CRISPR-Cas9. After modifying their genes, the spiders produced red glowing silk.
Spider silk is an intriguing fiber. Its dragline thread is elastic, lightweight, tear-resistant, and biodegradable. If scientists can modify spider silk synthesis in vivo and learn about the dragline thread structure, they could design new silk capabilities for a variety of purposes.
Over the past ten years, CRISPR-Cas9 has transformed biology. This molecular tool lets researchers cut particular DNA regions. Using the cell’s natural repair processes, researchers can knock out or implant a gene. Due to its usefulness, CRISPR-Cas9 has been employed in many biological fields, materials science, insect control, and agriculture research.
CRISPR-Cas9 in spiders has not been studied, which is unexpected given its many uses.
The researchers developed an injectable solution with gene-editing system components and a red fluorescent protein gene sequence. The solution was injected into unfertilized female spider eggs, which were then fertilized by males of the same species. The gene-edited spiders’ offspring had red fluorescence in their dragline silk, proving the gene sequence has been knocked into a silk protein.
The researchers revealed for the first time that CRISPR-Cas9 can insert a particular sequence into spider silk proteins, modifying these silk threads. The capacity to CRISPR-edit spider silk is promising for materials science research. This could boost spider silk’s already remarkable tensile strength.
The spider silk protein modified in this study is the first framework for generating silk fibers with unique properties, facilitating future modification.
Sources:
Edgardo Santiago‐Rivera et al. (2025). Spider Eye Development Editing and Silk Fiber Engineering Using CRISPR‐Cas, Angewandte Chemie International Edition. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202502068
The first genetic editing in spiders with CRISPR‐Cas yields colorful silk. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-genetic-spiders-crisprcas-yields-silk.html
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