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

非技术：该奖项由科罗拉多矿业学院材料研究部生物材料项目颁发，旨在克服在工程系统中利用膜蛋白（MP）功能的材料挑战。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尚未被开发。这些蛋白质是细胞的“看门人”，参与关键的生命过程，如能量转换、物质运输和信息处理。在合成系统中，这些同样由mp介导的功能也是非常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尺度上的识别和运输，但生物膜的流动性和不稳定性极大地阻碍了这一点。本研究通过开发化学上通用的合成膜来支持MP功能，弥合了生物和非生物系统之间的差距。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型纳米技术。在对教育的广泛影响方面，该项目建立了一个多层次的可再生材料教育计划。该项目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学生追求生物可再生材料的职业道路。一个重点拓展部分，“暑期体验@ Mines”，针对当地一所高中的少数民族学生，通过举办他们第一次接触工程研究和大学生活的活动，并为他们的生物技术课程编写课程材料。更广泛的外展内容包括培训K-12科学教师和向当地和附近学区分发课程材料。技术：该奖项旨在开发具有膜蛋白介导转运性能的生物杂交材料。膜蛋白（MPs）是一种生物来源的、生物可再生的高性能纳米材料。尽管大量的概念证明MPs在工程系统中的巨大潜力，但对于如何设计合成的支持MPs的膜来平衡流动性和稳定性之间的矛盾，以及如何将自发的MP重构到这些坚固的膜中形成2-D或3-D蛋白质膜阵列，人们知之甚少。本研究以光驱动质子泵蛋白紫红质为模型，阐明：(1)定向组装原理，将蛋白紫红质重组为有层次组织的蛋白膜阵列；(2)合成膜在变形视紫红质功能形成中的作用。由于变形紫质具有共同的七跨膜（7tm）结构的G蛋白偶联受体，一大家族的MPs调节能量转换，物质运输和生物传感。从这项研究中学到的指导概念有可能使广泛的基于mp的纳米技术受益。这个多学科的研究为培养学生在材料工程、合成化学、生物物理学和蛋白质工程等跨学科领域的能力提供了充足的机会。有了这个奖项，这个研究小组将设计一个多层次的软物质教育项目，名为“可持续未来的可再生材料”。本项目旨在：(1)通过课程开发提高软物质教育内容；(2)支持来自本科生研究机会计划、女子工程学会和国际交换生计划的本科生获得“实践”研究经验；(3)为当地和附近学区的K-12学生建立定期和系统的外展活动。

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.