Variation in Protein Intake Induces Variation in Spider Silk Expression

摘要: BACKGROUND It is energetically expensive to synthesize certain amino acids. The proteins (spidroins) of spider major ampullate (MA) silk, MaSp1 and MaSp2, differ in acid composition. Glutamine proline are prevalent MaSp2 synthesize. Since most orb web spiders express high silk they might preferentially attain the acids needed for from food shift toward expressing more their MA when starved. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We fed three spiders; Argiope aetherea, Cyrtophora moluccensis Leucauge blanda, protein, low protein or no solutions. A. aetherea L. blanda silks proline, while C. moluccesnsis proline. After 10 days feeding we determined compositions mechanical properties each species' compared them between species treatments with pre-treatment samples, accounting ancestry. found that glutamine were affected by intake; significantly decreasing under intake treatments. Glutmaine composition was likewise intake. However, not CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest limitation induces a different lower and/or content. Contradictions MaSp model lie findings did experience significant reduction serine on low/no protein. could be explained expressional shift. Factors other than expression, such as expression spidroin-like orthologues, may impact spinning glandular processes mechanics.