Orb weaver spider glue properties evolve faster than their glue genes, scientists find frontiersin frontiersin
"Discovering the sticky protein components of biological glues opens the doors to determining how material properties evolve," said Dr. Nadia Ayoub of Washington and Lee University, co-corresponding author of the study published in."Spider silk fibers and glues represent a fantastic model for answering such questions since they are primarily made of proteins and proteins are encoded by genes.
To understand how spider glue stickiness adapts, Ayoub and her colleagues focused on two species, Argiope argentata, which lives in dry environments; and Argiope trifasciata, which lives in humid environments. The team collected webs from A. trifasciata in the wild and had A. argentatabuild webs in the lab.
"Despite the dramatic differences in material properties, the two species share most of their protein components," said Opell."The sequences of these proteins are also similar between species, but the relative abundance of individual proteins differs. Modifying the ratios of proteins is likely a rapid mechanism to adjust material properties of biological glues."
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