Synthesis and Directed Assembly of Bio-Hybrid Materials with Membrane-Protein-Mediated Transport Performance

非技术性：这一奖项由科罗拉多矿业学院材料研究部的生物材料计划颁发，旨在克服在工程系统中利用膜蛋白(MP)功能方面的材料挑战。MPS代表了一系列生物衍生和生物可再生的高性能纳米材料，这些材料在很大程度上还没有被开发出来。这些蛋白质是细胞的“守门人”，参与能量转换、物质运输和信息处理等关键生命过程。这些同样由MP介导的功能也是合成系统中令人垂涎的纳米工程壮举。利用MPS进行纳米工程可能有助于理解、预测并最终控制纳米级的识别和运输，但生物膜的流动性和不稳定性极大地阻碍了这一过程。这项研究通过开发化学上通用的合成膜来支持MP功能，从而弥合了生物和非生物系统之间的鸿沟。这项研究的成功结果将有助于释放MPS的全部潜力，以创造从太阳能转换到高通量诊断的新纳米技术。关于对教育的广泛影响，该项目建立了一个关于可再生材料的多层次教育计划。该计划的目标是提高社会对可持续发展的认识，并激励本科生和K-12年级的学生在生物可再生材料方面追求职业道路。重点推广项目“暑期体验@矿场”以当地一所高中的少数族裔学生为目标，让他们首次接触到工程学和大学生活，并为他们的生物技术课程编写课程材料。一个更广泛的外联部分包括培训K-12科学教师和向当地和附近的学区分发课程材料。技术：该奖项是开发具有膜蛋白介导性传输性能的生物杂化材料。膜蛋白是一种生物衍生、生物可再生的高性能纳米材料。尽管大量的概念验证证明了MPS在工程系统中的巨大潜力，但对于如何设计合成MP支持膜来平衡流动性和稳定性之间的二分性，以及如何引导MP自发重组到这些坚固的膜中形成二维(2D)或三维蛋白质膜阵列，人们知之甚少。本研究以光驱动的质子泵--蛋白视紫红质为模型，阐明：(1)定向组装原理将蛋白视紫红质重组为层次化排列的蛋白膜；(2)合成膜在塑造蛋白视紫红质功能中的作用。由于蛋白视紫红质具有共同的G蛋白偶联受体的7个跨膜(7TM)结构，因此G蛋白偶联受体是一个调节能量转换、物质运输和生物传感的MPS大家族。从这项研究中学到的指导性概念有可能造福于广泛的基于MP的纳米技术。这一多学科的研究为培养材料工程、合成化学、生物物理学和蛋白质工程等跨学科领域的学生提供了大量的机会。有了这个奖项，这个课题组将设计一个多层次的软物质教育计划，题为《可再生材料，面向可持续的未来》。该计划旨在：(1)通过课程开发来改进软物质的教育内容；(2)支持本科生研究机会计划、女性工程学会和国际交换生计划的本科生拥有“实践”研究经验；以及(3)在当地和附近的学区建立定期和系统的K-12学生外展活动。

Nontechnical: This award by the Biomaterials Program in the Division of Materials Research to Colorado School of Mines aims to overcome the materials challenge on harnessing membrane protein (MP) functions in engineered systems. MPs represent a family of biologically-derived and bio-renewable high-performance nanomaterials that are largely unexplored. These proteins are the "gate-keepers" of cells, and are involved in critical life processes, such as energy conversion, matter transport and information processing. These same MP-mediated functions are also highly coveted nanoengineering feats in synthetic systems. Exploiting MPs for nanoengineering may help understand, predict, and ultimately control recognition and transport at the nanoscale, but is greatly impeded by the fluidic and labile nature of biomembranes. This study bridges the gap between biotic and abiotic systems by developing chemically versatile synthetic membranes to support MP functions. The successful outcome of this study will help unleash the full potential of MPs to create novel nanotechnologies ranging from solar conversion to high throughput diagnostics. With respect to broad impact on education, this project builds a multi-tiered education program on renewable materials. The objective of this program is to bring societal awareness on sustainability, and motivate undergraduate and K-12 students to pursue career paths on bio-renewable materials. A focused outreach component, "Summer Experience @ Mines", targets minority students at a local high school by hosting their first exposure to engineering studies and college life, and develop curriculum materials for their Biotechnology class. A broader outreach component includes training K-12 science teachers and dissemination of the curriculum materials to local and nearby school districts. Technical: This award is to develop bio-hybrid materials with membrane-protein-mediated transport performance. Membrane proteins (MPs) are biologically-derived and bio-renewable high-performance nanomaterials. Despite numerous proof-of-concept demonstrations of MPs' great potential in engineered systems, little is known on how to design synthetic MP-supporting membranes that balance a dichotomy between fluidity and stability, and how to direct spontaneous MP reconstitution into these robust membranes to form 2-dimensional (2-D) or 3-D proteomembrane arrays. Using proteorhodopsin, a light-driven proton pump as a model, this study will elucidate: (1) the directed assembly principles to reconstitute proteorhodopsin into hierarchically organized proteomembrane arrays; and (2) the roles of synthetic membranes in shaping proteorhodopsin function. Since proteorhodopsin has a common seven transmembrane (7 TM) architecture of G protein-coupled receptors, a large family of MPs that regulate energy conversion, matter transport and biosensing. The guiding concepts learnt from this study have the potential to benefit a broad range of MP-based nanotechnologies. This multidisciplinary study provides ample opportunities to train students at the interdisciplinary area of materials engineering, synthetic chemistry, biophysics, and protein engineering. With this award, this research group will design a multi-tiered soft matter education program entitled "Renewable Materials for Sustainable Future". This program aims to: (1) improve educational components on soft matter by course development; (2) support undergraduate students from the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, the Society of Women Engineering, and International Exchange Students Program to have "hands-on" research experience; and (3) build regular and systematic outreach activities to K-12 students in local and nearby school districts.