Proteins as Nanolegos

COFFEE_KLATCH · Invited

Abstract

Proteins can self-assemble into remarkable structures of high geometric symmetry both inside organisms and, with some intuition into design principles, in a cell free environment. After a brief survey of the spectrum of naturally occurring self-assembled protein scaffolds, from viral capsids to spider silk to biofilms, I will discuss engineered protein structures including remarkable designed geometric solids and assemblies of so called beta solenoid proteins. These latter proteins have extraordinarily symmetric geometric cross sections, and arise in such contexts as anti-freeze function and bacterial anti-biotic resistance. These protein assemblies are remarkably robust to environmental extremes in temperature and chemistry, and could have played a role in boosting the evolution of nucleic acids for early life on earth. They can also play a role in tissue engineering and, potentially, nano-manufacturing.

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Authors

  • Sergey Savrasov

    Hartnell College, Cal State Univ- Long Beach, University of California, Davis, School of Natural Science, University of California, Merced, Seagate Technology, Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, University of California - Berkeley, University of Colorado, Boulder -- Dept of Physics, University of California, Berkeley -- Dept of Chemistry, UC Merced, California State University, Fresno, California Institute of Technology, California State University, Long Beach, La Canada Flintridge, CA, Department of Physics, Florida A\&M University, Tallahassee, FL-32307, Physical and Life Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA-94550, Cal State Univ East Bay, American River College, UC Santa Cruz, Notre Dame High School, Benedict College, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Tuskegee University, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Sonoma State University, Carnegie Observatories, University of California, Los Angeles, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, UK, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Alabama, MPIfR, Bonn, Germany, Stanford University, University of California - Davis