Volume 59, Issue 36 pp. 15618-15625
Research Article

Polyphenol-Mediated Assembly of Proteins for Engineering Functional Materials

Yiyuan Han

Yiyuan Han

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia

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Zhixing Lin

Zhixing Lin

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia

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Dr. Jiajing Zhou

Dr. Jiajing Zhou

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia

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Dr. Gyeongwon Yun

Dr. Gyeongwon Yun

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia

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Rui Guo

Rui Guo

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia

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Dr. Joseph J. Richardson

Dr. Joseph J. Richardson

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia

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Prof. Frank Caruso

Corresponding Author

Prof. Frank Caruso

ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010 Australia

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First published: 01 March 2020
Citations: 197

Graphical Abstract

In a material world: A simple and versatile strategy for assembling functional materials was established through the interfacial assembly of proteins and polyphenols on various substrates. Protein–polyphenol capsules were used to elucidate the dominant interaction(s) between different proteins and polyphenols. The assembled proteins retain their structure and function, thereby enabling their use in various applications, for example, biocatalysis or cell targeting.

Abstract

Functional materials composed of proteins have attracted much interest owing to the inherent and diverse functionality of proteins. However, establishing general techniques for assembling proteins into nanomaterials is challenging owing to the complex physicochemical nature and potential denaturation of proteins. Here, a simple, versatile strategy is introduced to fabricate functional protein assemblies through the interfacial assembly of proteins and polyphenols (e.g., tannic acid) on various substrates (organic, inorganic, and biological). The dominant interactions (hydrogen-bonding, hydrophobic, and ionic) between the proteins and tannic acid were elucidated; most proteins undergo multiple noncovalent stabilizing interactions with polyphenols, which can be used to engineer responsiveness into the assemblies. The proteins retain their structure and function within the assemblies, thereby enabling their use in various applications (e.g., catalysis, fluorescence imaging, and cell targeting).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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