Generation, functionalization, and distribution of de novo designed protein nanomaterials

蛋白质是大分子，具有复杂的三维(3D)结构，使它们具有复杂的细胞功能。为了获得自然界中没有的复杂蛋白质结构，华盛顿大学的贝克和金教授以及加州大学洛杉矶分校的叶茨教授合作计算并精确控制蛋白质组装成3D结构。研究团队与工程和科学界共享这些能力，并构建了一个设计的蛋白质纳米材料(DPN)数据库，使其他人能够快速建立在这些进步的基础上。其长期目标是使基于蛋白质的材料能够进行可预测的设计，用于广泛的应用，如靶向药物输送、用于能量转换的功能材料和其他化学技术。该跨学科项目为博士后研究人员和学生提供了极好的研究培训机会。这项研究将理论、计算和实验相结合，以结束创造新的基于蛋白质的纳米材料的设计周期，这些材料目前无法使用传统的蛋白质工程方法获得。它开发了从模块化构建块制备更强大和复杂的蛋白质纳米材料的策略，其3D组装和拆卸可以随着环境条件的变化而发生。研究团队招募公民科学家使用Foldit解决复杂的蛋白质设计问题，并提供创新意见，以增强此类材料的功能化。

Proteins are large molecules that have complex three-dimensional (3D) structures that give them sophisticated cellular functions. To provide access to complex protein structures not found in nature, Professors Baker and King of the University of Washington and Professor Yeates of University of California Los Angeles collaborate to compute and precisely control the assembly of proteins into 3D architectures. The research team shares these capabilities with the engineering and scientific communities and constructs a Designed Protein Nanomaterial (DPN) database to enable others to rapidly build on these advances. The long-term goal is to allow predictable design of protein-based materials for use in a wide range of applications such as targeted drug delivery, functional materials for energy conversion, and other chemical technologies. The interdisciplinary project provides excellent research training opportunities to postdoctoral researchers and students. This research integrates theory, computation and experiment to close the design cycle on creation of new protein-based nanomaterials that are not currently accessible using conventional protein engineering approaches. It develops strategies to prepare more robust and complex protein nanomaterials from modular building blocks, whose 3D assembly and disassembly can occur in response to changes in environmental conditions. The research team recruits citizen scientists to solve complex protein design problems using Foldit, and to provide innovative input to enhance functionalization of such materials.