Engineered elastomeric proteins with dual elasticity can be controlled by a molecular regulator
Engineered elastomeric proteins with dual elasticity can be controlled by a molecular regulator
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DOI：
10.1038/nnano.2008.168
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发表时间：
2008-08-01
影响因子：
38.3
通讯作者：
Li, Hongbin
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cao, Yi;Li, Hongbin
弹性蛋白是分子弹簧，赋予许多生物组织和生物材料优异的力学性能（1-5）。根据组织或生物材料的作用，弹性蛋白可以表现为分子弹簧（1、2、6、7）或减震器（3-5,8-10）。在这里，我们结合了单分子原子力显微镜和蛋白质工程技术来创造弹性蛋白质，这种蛋白质可以在两种不同类型的机械行为之间切换，以响应分子调节因子的结合。这些蛋白质在设计上是机械不稳定的，它们的行为就像具有弹性的熵弹簧，弹性由它们的构型熵决定。然而，当一种分子调节剂与蛋白质结合时，它就会转变成一种机械稳定的状态，可以起到减震器的作用。这些工程蛋白有效地模拟并结合了天然弹性蛋白中发现的两种极端形式的弹性行为，因此代表了一种新型的智能纳米材料，将在纳米力学和材料科学中找到潜在的应用。
Elastomeric proteins are molecular springs that confer excellent mechanical properties(1-5) to many biological tissues and biomaterials. Depending on the role performed by the tissue or biomaterial, elastomeric proteins can behave as molecular springs(1,2,6,7) or shock absorbers(3-5,8-10). Here we combine single-molecule atomic force microscopy and protein engineering techniques to create elastomeric proteins that can switch between two distinct types of mechanical behaviour in response to the binding of a molecular regulator. The proteins are mechanically labile by design and behave as entropic springs with an elasticity that is governed by their configurational entropy. However, when a molecular regulator binds to the protein, it switches into a mechanically stable state and can act as a shock absorber. These engineered proteins effectively mimic and combine the two extreme forms of elastic behaviour found in natural elastomeric proteins, and thus represent a new type of smart nanomaterial that will find potential applications in nanomechanics and material sciences.