Developments in recombinant silk and other elastic protein fibers for textile and other applications

Abstract

The ability to manipulate genes and their products by recombinant DNA has signaled a number of new possibilities for the production of modified or new fibrous biopolymers or protein-based polymers with a combination of strength and elasticity similar or even superior to that of synthetic high-tech fibers. Biotechnological approaches offer the opportunity to replace existing chemical or mechanical processes for a cleaner production technology than conventional procedures, which cause severe pollution problems from textile effluents.