Exploring the Function of Egg Case Protein-3, A Novel Protein Found In Spider Egg Case Silk Fibers

Spider silk is composed of proteins that allow for its ductility and high tensile strength, making spider silk an ideal substance for stitching wounds, bandaging, and other medical uses. By synthetically producing spider silk proteins in vitro, ample amounts of spider silk can be synthesized for medical purposes more quickly than via natural spider silk production. Egg Case Protein- 3 (ECP-3) is a 6 kD protein that is spun into tubuliform silks. The mRNA transcripts of ECP-3 are expressed and produced in the tubuliform glands of the abdomen of the spider. Since ECP-3 transcripts are expressed in the tubuliform gland and the protein spun into fibers, we hypothesize that ECP-3 has an important structural role in the tubuliform silks. To test this hypothesis, ECP-3 cDNA was amplified using primers and placed into a prokaryotic expression vector to produce recombinant ECP-3. ECP -3 protein induction was monitored by Western blot analysis. Following ECP-3 expression, we decided to express ECP-3 in a large scale format, purify the protein and attempt to spin synthetic fibers