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Lozano-Pérez AA, Pagán A, Zhurov V, Hudson SD, Hutter JL, Pruneri V, Pérez-Moreno I, Grbic' V, Cenis JL, Grbic' M, Aznar-Cervantes S. The silk of gorse spider mite Tetranychus lintearius represents a novel natural source of nanoparticles and biomaterials. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18471. [PMID: 33116211 PMCID: PMC7595037 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74766-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Spider mites constitute an assemblage of well-known pests in agriculture, but are less known for their ability to spin silk of nanoscale diameters and high Young's moduli. Here, we characterize silk of the gorse spider mite Tetranychus lintearius, which produces copious amounts of silk with nano-dimensions. We determined biophysical characteristics of the silk fibres and manufactured nanoparticles and biofilm derived from native silk. We determined silk structure using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and characterized silk nanoparticles using field emission scanning electron microscopy. Comparative studies using T. lintearius and silkworm silk nanoparticles and biofilm demonstrated that spider mite silk supports mammalian cell growth in vitro and that fluorescently labelled nanoparticles can enter cell cytoplasm. The potential for cytocompatibility demonstrated by this study, together with the prospect of recombinant silk production, opens a new avenue for biomedical application of this little-known silk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Abel Lozano-Pérez
- Departmento de Biotecnología, Genómica y Mejora Vegetal, IMIDA, C/Mayor, s/n, 30150, La Alberca, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Ana Pagán
- Departmento de Biotecnología, Genómica y Mejora Vegetal, IMIDA, C/Mayor, s/n, 30150, La Alberca, Murcia, Spain
| | - Vladimir Zhurov
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Stephen D Hudson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Jeffrey L Hutter
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Valerio Pruneri
- ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Pérez-Moreno
- Department of Agriculture and Food, University of La Rioja, C/Madre de Dios, 53, 26006, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
| | - Vojislava Grbic'
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - José Luis Cenis
- Departmento de Biotecnología, Genómica y Mejora Vegetal, IMIDA, C/Mayor, s/n, 30150, La Alberca, Murcia, Spain
| | - Miodrag Grbic'
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada.
- Department of Agriculture and Food, University of La Rioja, C/Madre de Dios, 53, 26006, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain.
- Department of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Salvador Aznar-Cervantes
- Departmento de Biotecnología, Genómica y Mejora Vegetal, IMIDA, C/Mayor, s/n, 30150, La Alberca, Murcia, Spain
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