Spider dragline (major ampullate) silk outperforms virtually all other natural and manmade materials in terms of tensile strength toughness. For this reason, the mass-production artificial spider silks through transgenic technologies has been a major goal biomimetics research. Although known arthropod proteins are extremely large (>200 kiloDaltons), recombinant have designed from short incomplete cDNAs, only available sequences. Here we describe first full-length gene sequences their...

A powerful system for studying protein aggregation, particularly rapid self-assembly, is spider silk. Spider silks are proteinaceous and silk proteins synthesized stored within glands as liquid dope. As needed, dope near-instantaneously transformed into solid fibers or viscous adhesives. The dominant constituents of spidroins (spider fibroins) their terminal domains vital the tight control self-assembly. To better understand spidroin termini, we used target capture deep sequencing to...

Spiders in the superfamily Araneoidea produce viscous glue from aggregate silk glands. Aggregate coats prey-capture threads and hampers escape of prey webs, thereby increasing foraging success spiders. cDNAs for Spider Glue 1 (ASG1) 2 (ASG2) have been previously described golden orb-weaver, Nephila clavipes, Western black widow, Latrodectus hesperus. To further investigate glues, we assembled ASG1 ASG2 genomic target capture libraries constructed three species cob-web weavers orb-web...

Significance Transposable elements (TEs) represent the largest component of genomes higher eukaryotes. Among this are some TEs that have attained very high copy numbers, with hundreds, even thousands, elements. By documenting spread mPing throughout a rice population, we demonstrate such bursts amplification generate functionally relevant genomic variations upon which selection can act. Specifically, continued increases number tightly linked that, in turn, frequency structural appear to be...

Orb-web weaving spiders and their relatives use multiple types of task-specific silks. The majority spider silk studies have focused on the ultra-tough dragline synthesized in major ampullate glands, but other impressive material properties. For instance, minor silks orb-web are as tough draglines, due to higher extensibility despite lower strength. Differences properties between result from differences component proteins, particularly members spidroin (spider fibroin) gene family. However,...

The gene for odontogenic ameloblast-associated (ODAM) is a member of the secretory calcium-binding phosphoprotein family. ODAM primarily expressed in dental tissues including enamel organ and junctional epithelium, may also have pleiotropic functions that are unrelated to teeth. Here, we leverage power natural selection test competing hypotheses tooth-specific versus pleiotropic. Specifically, compiled screened complete protein-coding sequences, plus sequences flanking intronic regions, 165...

Silk production has independently evolved in numerous arthropod lineages, such as Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Lepidopteran larvae (caterpillars) synthesize silk proteins modified salivary glands spin fibers into protective tunnels, escape lines, pupation cocoons. Molecular sequence data for these are necessary to determine critical features of their function evolution. To this end, we constructed an expression library from ghost moth, Hepialus californicus, characterized light...

Spiders swath their eggs with silk to protect developing embryos and hatchlings. Egg case silks, like other fibrous spider are primarily composed of proteins called spidroins (spidroin = spider-fibroin). Silks, thus spidroins, important throughout the lives spiders, yet evolution spidroin genes has been relatively understudied. Spidroin notoriously difficult sequence because they typically very long (≥ 10 kb coding sequence) highly repetitive. Here, we investigate through long-read...

Spiders spin a variety of task-specific silk fibers, each composed one or more unique proteins synthesized within specialized glands in the spider's abdomen. Tubuliform are source large diameter fibers used by many species construction egg cases. Unlike other that synthesize protein throughout lifetime, tubuliform association with maturation oocytes, culminating production an case. In Western black widow, Lactrodectus hesperus Chamberlin & Ivie (1935), case at least three proteins: spidroin...

Embioptera is a little studied order of widely distributed, but rarely seen, insects. Members this group, also called embiids or webspinners, all heavily rely on silken tunnels in which they live and reproduce. However, vary their substrate preferences these differences may result divergent silk mechanical properties. Here, we present diameter measurements, tensile tests, protein secondary structural analyses silks spun by several embiid species. Despite diverse habitats phylogenetic...

Abstract Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), known as the glassy-winged sharpshooter, is a xylem feeding leafhopper and an important agricultural pest vector of Xylella fastidiosa, which causes Pierce’s disease in grapes variety other scorch diseases. The current H. reference genome from Baylor College Medicine's i5k pilot project 1.4-Gb assembly with 110,000 scaffolds, still has significant gaps making identification genes difficult. To improve on this effort, we used...

Gene-editing tools such as CRISPR-Cas9 have created unprecedented opportunities for genetic studies in plants and animals. We designed a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) to train introductory biology students the concepts implementation of gene-editing technology well develop their soft skills data management scientific communication. present two versions course that can be implemented with twice-weekly meetings over 5-week period. In remote-learning version, performed...

Gene editing tools such as CRISPR-Cas9 have created unprecedented opportunities for genetic studies in plants and animals. We designed a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) to train introductory biology students the concepts implementation of gene technology well develop their soft skills data management scientific communication. present two versions course that can be implemented with twice-weekly meetings over five-week period. In remote-learning version, perform homology...

SUMMARY The macroevolutionary transition from terra firma to obligatory inhabitance of the marine hydrosphere has occurred twice in history Mammalia: Cetacea and Sirenia. In case (whales, dolphins, porpoises), molecular phylogenies provide unambiguous evidence that fully aquatic cetaceans semiaquatic hippopotamids (hippos) are each other’s closest living relatives. Ancestral reconstructions further suggest some adaptations realm evolved common ancestor Cetancodonta (Cetacea+Hippopotamidae)....

Abstract Genomes of all characterized higher eukaryotes harbor examples transposable element (TE) bursts - the rapid amplification TE copies throughout a genome. Despite their prevalence, understanding how diversify genomes requires characterization actively transposing TEs before insertion sites and structural rearrangements have been obscured by selection acting over evolutionary time. In this study rice recombinant inbred lines (RILs), generated crossing bursting accession reference...