Chemically self-assembled protein nanostructures

AGFD 48

Carston R. Wagner, wagne003@umn.edu, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 308 Harvard St. SE, 8-174 Weaver-Densford Hall, Minneapolis, MN 55455
The design and synthesis of patterned, self-assembled nanostructures has been in the main part driven by two lofty objectives: the goal of harnessing molecular patterning to create elements for ultradense electronic or mechanical devices, and by the effort to recapitulate biological machinery and its spectacularly diverse functionality. The fundamental challenge of engineering synthetic nanostructures—whether creating functional biomedical, bioelectronic, or physicomechanical devices—is likely to require, just like living systems, the use of multiple building materials, rather than a monotonic assembly strategy. Consequently, it is critical to advance the science of self-assembly in multiple biochemical realms. Our laboratory has recently begun to delineate a set of rules for the control of protein nanostructure self-assembly by chemical induction. We are applying these insights for the preparation of nanorings capable of arraying enzymes and antibodies for potential biotechnological and therapeutic utility.