Engineering nanoscale order into a designed protein fiber

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 104; no. 26; pp. 10853 - 10858
• Main Authors: Papapostolou, David, Smith, Andrew M, Atkins, Edward D.T, Oliver, Seb J, Ryadnov, Maxim G, Serpell, Louise C, Woolfson, Derek N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 26.06.2007; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Biochemistry; Biocompatible Materials - chemical synthesis; Biological Sciences; Biomimetic Materials - chemical synthesis; Biophysics; Design; Design engineering; Diffraction patterns; Modeling; Mutation; Nanostructures; Nanotechnology; Peptides; Peptides - chemistry; Protein Conformation; Protein Engineering - methods; Proteins; Proteins - chemical synthesis; Simulations; Water; Wave diffraction; Waxes; X ray diffraction

We have established a designed system comprising two peptides that coassemble to form long, thickened protein fibers in water. This system can be rationally engineered to alter fiber assembly, stability, and morphology. Here, we show that rational mutations to our original peptide designs lead to st...