Programmed Assembly of Conductive Protein Crystals

非技术：这个奖项由科罗拉多州立大学材料研究部的生物材料计划授予科罗拉多州立大学，旨在通过编码构建块蛋白质的组装来设计新材料。该奖项由美国陆军纳蒂克士兵研究、开发和工程中心共同资助。预期的晶体生物材料组织得如此精确，以至于它们将绕射X射线，从而能够高分辨率地确定分子结构细节。虽然这类材料有许多可能的应用，但这项建议侧重于(1)确定组成构件的位置可以编程的程度，以及(2)评估蛋白质晶体孔道网络的应用。具体地说，该项目将生产和表征紧密堆积的纳米线六角阵列，这些纳米线可能形成用于催化或电池应用的有用的超高表面积材料。多孔性蛋白质晶体也可能作为多功能传递材料提供优势，将高容量与广泛的纳米结构控制的可能性相结合。由于与AP化学和生物分子工程课程相结合，该项目提供了高中和大学的教育机会，以及通过用于蛋白质建模和设计的开源软件平台(SharPEN)进行广泛传播。技术：拟议的研究将研究蛋白质作为构建块来组装晶体材料，其中可能对组成结构域的位置进行亚纳米控制。这项研究还将利用现有蛋白质晶体的高度各向异性的孔结构，以追求纳米结构材料的应用。该项目将通过合成导电聚合物或在平行的纳米孔阵列中捕获碳纳米管来生产和表征紧密排列的六角形纳米线阵列。此外，这项研究将确定在具有挑战性的操作条件下，多孔晶体是否适合用作抗菌肽的受控释放仓库。具体地说，该项目将评估孔径大小非常不同的蛋白质晶体吸附抗菌肽、有条件地阻止客体多肽释放以及经受包括变性剂、热、冻融循环和干燥在内的苛刻条件的程度。该提案还包括一项软件工程工作，以改善Sharpen平台的可及性，进一步扩大蛋白质设计方法改进的影响。研究培训将涵盖生物纳米技术、分子建模和纳米结构成像等前沿领域。

Non-Technical: This award by the Biomaterials Program in the Division of Materials Research to Colorado State University is to design new materials by encoding the assembly of building block proteins. This award is cofunded by US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center. The intended crystalline biomaterials are so precisely organized that they will diffract X-rays, allowing high-resolution determination of the molecular structure details. While there are many possible applications for such materials, this proposal focuses on (1) determining the extent to which the position of constituent building blocks can be programmed, and (2) assessing applications for the protein crystal pore network. Specifically, the project will produce and characterize close-packed hexagonal arrays of nanowires that may form useful ultra-high surface area materials for catalysis or battery applications. Porous protein crystals may also offer advantages as multifunctional delivery materials, combining high capacity with the possibility of extensive nanostructure control. The project provides educational opportunities from high school and the University due to integration with AP Chemistry and Biomolecular Engineering courses, as well as broad dissemination via an open-source software platform (SHARPEN) for protein modeling and design.Technical: The proposed research will study proteins as building blocks to assemble crystalline materials in which it is possible to exert sub-nanometer control over the location of constituent domains. This research will also exploit the highly anisotropic pore structure of existing protein crystals in pursuit of nanostructured material applications. The project will produce and characterize close-packed hexagonal arrays of nanowires via synthesis of conductive polymers or the capture of carbon nanotubes within a parallel array of nanopores. Additionally, the research will determine the suitability of porous crystals to serve as depots for the controlled release of antimicrobial peptides under challenging operational conditions. Specifically, the project will assess the extent to which protein crystals with very different pore sizes adsorb antimicrobial peptides, conditionally gate guest peptide release, and withstand demanding conditions including denaturants, heat, freeze-thaw cycles, and desiccation. This proposal also includes a software engineering effort to improve accessibility of the SHARPEN platform, further extending the impact of protein design methodology improvements. Research training will encompass cutting-edge areas of bionanotechnology, molecular modeling, and nanostructure imaging.