Collaborative Research: Magnetically Assisted Self-Assembly for Facile 2D Membrane Protein Crystallization

非技术膜蛋白是细胞与外部环境相互作用的主要机制，因此在传感、选择性运输和催化方面表现出异常精细的能力。该奖项旨在研究易溶二维膜蛋白结晶的磁辅助自组装，将支持对这些膜蛋白和更广泛的生物材料的磁性的基础研究。pi将利用他们在磁场中膜蛋白行为的知识来支持这些生物材料的二维晶体的开发。最后，这些晶体将用于高选择性传感和分离应用的器件中。与此同时，该项目将资助扩大本科生研究培训和指导计划，其中包括对本科生博士生导师的正式3小时培训过程，对即将进入的本科生研究人员的正式目标设定过程，以及对本科生，博士生导师和PI的360度评估过程，每两个月进行一次，并在项目完成后进行。技术pi建议研究膜蛋白（MP）在磁场存在下自组装的基本物理和化学，为在大面积上实现高结晶顺序的MP的可扩展二维结晶策略提供信息。他们将计算MPs和支撑基质（嵌段共聚物和脂质）的抗磁化率，以评估该技术在已知MPs中的普遍性，并为随后的自组装模拟提供信息。一个新的粗粒模型将被开发来描述MP晶体的自组装在存在和缺乏外加磁场。该模型将足够有效，可以作为前端生物材料制造设计工具，跨越MPs和支持矩阵的不同组合。pi将在不同的实验条件下通过实验表征磁场对MP结晶的影响来验证这些模型。最后，将测试OmpF和pHR的二维MP晶体作为筛选配体和阻滞剂的模型系统，并与当前最先进的双层系统进行比较。这项工作将有助于1)计算大分子的抗磁各向异性和抗磁磁化率的新方法，其中一级，二级和三级结构每个都有助于分子的磁性，2)对驱动动力学和自组装最终状态的各种竞争力的物理理解，3)一个建模工具来指导2D MP晶体制造的实验设计。4)在功能器件中展示2D MP晶体，并评估其相对于当前最先进技术的性能。

Non-Technical Membrane proteins are cells' primary mechanism for interacting with the external environment, and thus demonstrate exceptionally fine-tuned capabilities in sensing, selective transport, and catalysis. This award to study Magnetically Assisted Self-Assembly for Facile 2D Membrane Protein Crystallization will support fundamental research on the magnetic properties of these membrane proteins, and biological materials more generally. The PIs will leverage their knowledge of membrane protein behavior in magnetic fields to support the development of two-dimensional crystals from these biological materials. Finally, these crystals will be deployed in devices for highly selective sensing and separation applications. In parallel, the project will fund the expansion of an undergraduate research training and mentorship program that includes a formal 3-hour training process for PhD student supervisors of undergraduate students, a formal goal-setting process for incoming undergraduate researchers, and a 360-degree evaluation process for undergraduates, PhD supervisors, and the PI conducted on a bi-monthly basis and upon completion of the project.Technical PIs propose to investigate the fundamental physics and chemistry of membrane protein (MP) self-assembly in the presence of a magnetic field to inform strategies for scalable 2D crystallization of MPs with high crystalline order realized over large areas. They will compute the diamagnetic susceptibility of MPs and supporting matrices (block co-polymers and lipids) to assess the generalizability of this technique across known MPs and to inform subsequent self-assembly simulations. A novel coarse-grain model will be developed to describe the self-assembly of MP crystals in the presence and absence of an applied magnetic field. This model will be sufficiently efficient as to serve as a front-end biomaterial fabrication design tool across diverse combinations of MPs and supporting matrices. PIs will validate these models by experimentally characterizing the effect of magnetic fields on MP crystallization under diverse experimental conditions. Finally, 2D MP crystals of OmpF and pHR will be tested as model systems for screening ligands and blockers in comparison with current state-of-the-art bilayer type systems. This work will contribute 1) a novel approach for computing the diamagnetic anisotropy and diamagnetic susceptibility of large molecules in which primary, secondary, and tertiary structure each contribute to the magnetic properties of the molecule, 2) a physical understanding of the various competing forces that drive the kinetics and final state of self-assembly, 3) a modeling tool to guide experimental design for the fabrication of 2D MP crystals, and 4) a demonstration of 2D MP crystals in functional devices and an assessment of their performance relative to the current state-of-the-art.