Experts trying to develop bio-based glue
(Laramie, Wyo.) Could spider-web goo spin society toward new bio-based glues?
The notion's not so far-fetched for scientists who suggest that a sticky substance in spider webs may lead to a new generation of adhesives and glues that could replace some petroleum-based products.
For their research, a team from the University of Wyoming analyzed web glue from the golden-orb weaving spider - noted for spinning intricate webs.
Members reported identifying two new glyco-proteins - sugar-based protein bits - in the glue produced from opposite strands of the same DNA. They say the proteins when combined with insect or bacterial cell cultures could be used to develop a new bio-based adhesive for a variety of purposes.
The experts say their findings are important because colleagues until now have known little about spider glue - which coats the silk threads of webs and is among the world's strongest biological adhesives. The work is detailed in the October issue of Biomacromolecules - a monthly journal of the American Chemical Society.
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