CENTER FOR THE SCIENCE OF
SYNTHESIS ACROSS SCALES
Synthetic chemical motifs to build dynamic protein materials
​
January 21, 2025
The structures of RhuA nanotubes (left) and the embedded b-cyclodextrin and azobenzene host-guest interactions were determined by cryo-electron microscopy and solution X-ray scattering.
Scientific Achievement
-
Synthetic host-guest interactions were used to design highly ordered yet dynamic 1- and 2-D protein materials that are responsive to light and chemical stimuli.
​
​Significance and Impact
-
Implementation of host-guest interactions greatly streamlines the construction of artificial protein assemblies, opening new paths for designing proteins with novel structural, mechanical, and functional properties.​​
​
Research Details
-
Variants of a protein termed RhuA modified with complementary b-cyclodextrin host and azobenzene guest molecules co-assembled to form 1D nanotubes and 2D crystals that could be reversibly disassembled by light irradiation and changes in pH and metal concentrations.
-
Surprisingly, the 1D RhuA nanotubes were found to assemble without a nucleation barrier.
Z. Zhang, H. T. Chiang, Y. Xia, N. Avakyan, R. R. Sonani, F. Wang, E. H. Egelman, J. J. De Yoreo, L. D. Pozzo, F. A. Tezcan, Chem, in press (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2024.102407
​
​Work performed at the University of California San Diego.