Molecular design of protein-based materials – state of the art, opportunities and challenges at the interface between materials engineering and synthetic biology
Ebony Shire, André A. B. Coimbra, Carlos Barba Ostria, Leonardo Rios-Solis and Diego López Barreiro
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Structural proteins like silk, squid ring teeth, elastin, collagen, or resilin, among others, are inspiring the development of new sustainable biopolymeric materials for applications including healthcare, food, soft robotics, or textiles. Furthermore, advances in the fields of soft materials and synthetic biology have a joint great potential to guide the design of novel structural proteins, despite both fields progressing mostly in a separate fashion so far. Using recombinant DNA technologies and microbial fermentations, we can design new structural proteins with monomer-level sequence control and a dispersity of ca. 1.0, based on permutations of tandem repeats derived from natural structural proteins. However, the molecular design of recombinant and repetitive structural proteins is a nontrivial task that is generally approached using low-throughput trial-and-error experimentation. Here, we review recent progress in this area, in terms of structure–function relationships and DNA synthesis technologies. We also discuss experimental and computational advances towards the establishment of rapid prototyping pipelines for this family of biopolymers. Finally, we highlight future challenges to make protein-based materials a commercially viable alternative to current fossil-based polymers.
蚕丝、乌贼环齿、弹性蛋白、胶原蛋白或树脂蛋白等结构蛋白正在激发人们开发新型可持续生物聚合物材料,其应用领域包括医疗保健、食品、软机器人或纺织品。此外,软性材料和合成生物学领域的进步在指导新型结构蛋白质的设计方面具有共同的巨大潜力,尽管迄今为止这两个领域的进展大多各自为政。利用 DNA 重组技术和微生物发酵技术,我们可以根据从天然结构蛋白中提取的串联重复序列的排列组合,设计出具有单体级序列控制和约 1.0 分散性的新型结构蛋白。然而,重组和重复结构蛋白的分子设计并非易事,通常需要通过低通量的试错实验来完成。在此,我们从结构-功能关系和 DNA 合成技术的角度回顾了这一领域的最新进展。我们还讨论了在为这一系列生物聚合物建立快速原型管道方面取得的实验和计算进展。最后,我们强调了使基于蛋白质的材料成为目前化石基聚合物的商业可行替代品所面临的未来挑战。
期刊介绍:
Molecular Systems Design & Engineering provides a hub for cutting-edge research into how understanding of molecular properties, behaviour and interactions can be used to design and assemble better materials, systems, and processes to achieve specific functions. These may have applications of technological significance and help address global challenges.