Utah State University

Justin A Jones

Randolph V Lewis

Dong Chen

Xiaoli Zhang

Paula F Oliveira

Tyler Jones

Vincent Pangallo

Gargi Bhattacharyya

Brianne Eileen Bell

Thomas Ian Harris

Lijin Xia

Sreevidhya T Krishnaji

The present application provides fibers made from recombinant hagfish intermediate filament proteins. Methods of expressing and purifying the proteins, and methods of creating the fibers, are likewise disclosed. The method of purifying protein yields larger quantities of hagfish protein than have been previously achieved, and the fibers have the highest mechanical properties yet recorded for recombinant hagfish protein fibers.

Recombinant hagfish proteins and fibers

Transgenic silkworms stably expressing hagfish thread keratin genes or composite silkworm/hagfish thread keratin genes are disclosed. The exogenous hagfish thread keratin genes are stably integrated into a defined site of the fibroin heavy chain intron or a fibroin light chain intron of silkworms. Synthetic hagfish thread keratin proteins and composite hagfish thread keratin-silkworm genes and proteins are provided. The expression of exogenous hagfish thread keratin genes is driven by the endogenous fibroin heavy chain promoter, improving the genetic stability of transgenic silkworms. The composite silkworm/hagfish thread keratin fibers exhibit exceptional mechanical performance, compared to normal silkworm silk fibers and other transgenic silkworm fibers.

Transgenic silkworms expressing hagfish thread keratin

Exercise device

Transgenic silkworms stably expressing synthetic spider silk genes or composite silkworm/spider silk genes are disclosed. The exogenous spider silk genes are stably intergrated into a defined site of the fibroin heavy chain intron or a fibroin light chain intron of silkworms. Synthetic spider silk proteins and composite spider silk-silkworm genes and proteins are provided. The expression of exogenous spider silk genes is driven by the endogenous fibroin heavy chain promoter, improving the genetic stability of transgenic silkworms. The composite silkworm/spider silk fibers exhibit exceptional mechanical performance, compared to normal silkworm silk fibers and other transgenic silkworm fibers.

Transgenic silkworms expressing spider silk

A method of producing synthetic spider silk, including: transformingwith an expression vector; fermenting the transformedin a culture medium; inducing spider silk protein expression in the cultured; extracting the spider silk; and purifying the spider silk. Related vectors and genetically modified cells are also disclosed.

Expression systems and associated methods

Growing community of inventors

Nibley, UT, United States of America

Justin A Jones