Synthetic Biology Enables Microbes to Build Muscle
Published:31 Aug.2021 Source:Washington University in St. Louis
Would you wear clothing made of muscle fibers? Use them to tie your shoes or even wear them as a belt? It may sound a bit odd, but if those fibers could endure more energy before breaking than cotton, silk, nylon, or even the material used in bullet-proof vests, then why not?
Don't worry, this muscle could be produced without harming a single animal. Researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a synthetic chemistry approach to polymerize proteins inside of engineered microbes. This enabled the microbes to produce the high molecular weight muscle protein, titin, which was then spun into fibers.