Download Proteins as a biological building block for molecular entrapment

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Proteins as a biological building block for molecular
entrapment
Melissa Koay and Jeroen Cornelissen
University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands
Nature uses simple building blocks that can be assembled into
complex hierarchical structures: from amino acids to proteins,
lipids to membranes, nucleotides to DNA. In particular, proteins
that undergo reversible self-assembly are of growing interest
in the field of bionanotechnology for applications in catalysis,
biosynthesis and as molecular cargo delivery systems. Cowpea
Chlorotic Mottle Virus (CCMV) is an icosahedral virus that
reversibly disassembles and reassembles 180 protein monomers
into a well-defined cage-like structure. Unlike other viruses, the
in vitro assembly and disassembly of CCMV can be controlled
exclusively by changing the pH and ionic strength. For this
reason, we use CCMV as a molecular building block for the
encapsulation of various biomolecules, including proteins,
enzymes, micelles and polymers. Here I will present our work
towards the rational design and engineering of virus-based cages
for the controlled loading of biological cargo.