——— Jenny Wang

4.1 DNA Read

(i) What DNA would you want to sequence (e.g., read) and why? 🕸️ 🧬

For my Week #1 homework, I chose to research the development of AI-powered smart clothing and e-textiles. As a result, I have been particularly interested in exploring smart fabrics such as spider silk. While conducting my research, I discovered that scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed ultra-thin, eco-friendly sensors inspired by spider silk. These "electronic spider silk" fibers can be directly printed onto biological surfaces, including human skin. Remarkably, the fibers are at least 50 times thinner than a human hair, allowing them to conform to complex surfaces without being perceptible to the user.

According to researchers, this technology has a wide range of potential applications, from health monitoring and virtual reality to precision agriculture and environmental sensing. In the future, additional functional materials could be integrated into this fiber printing method, enabling the development of advanced fiber-based sensors with capabilities such as display, computation, and energy conversion, thereby augmenting living systems in innovative ways (University of Cambridge).

Figure 1. Organic bioelectronic fibre fabrication, morphing and tethering. (Nature Electronics)

I would like to sequence the spider silk protein genes from various orb-weaver spiders, particularly Araneus bicentenarius (the Giant Lichen Orbweaver). Understanding the genetic sequence of spider silk proteins, such as major ampullate spidroins (MaSp1 and MaSp2), could help in bioengineering high-performance synthetic fibers for applications in biomedicine, aerospace, and sustainable textiles. Additionally, sequencing could reveal insights into how genetic variations contribute to the silk’s unique mechanical properties, such as high tensile strength and elasticity.

(ii) What technology or technologies would you use to perform sequencing on your DNA and why?

Characteristics of Spider Silk Genes:

Spider silk genes possess two key characteristics:

• Long and repetitive DNA sequences
• Large gene size

Given these traits, I prefer using Oxford Nanopore Sequencing, a third-generation sequencing technology, due to its advantages:

• Long-read sequencing: Essential for accurately reading the repetitive sequences found in silk protein genes.
• Real-time sequencing: Allows for rapid analysis of DNA samples.
• Minimal sample preparation: Can function in field conditions, making it particularly useful for environmental DNA (eDNA) studies.

Alternatively, Illumina Sequencing, a second-generation sequencing technology, could be considered if high-throughput sequencing and accuracy are prioritized over read length.