Heddle Jonathan G
Global Edge Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuda, Midori-ku, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan.
Nanotechnol Sci Appl. 2008 Nov 17;1:67-78. doi: 10.2147/nsa.s4092.
There is a great deal of interest in the possibility that complex nanoscale devices can be designed and engineered. Such devices will lead to the development of new materials, electronics and smart drugs. Producing complex nanoscale devices, however will present many challenges and the components of such devices will require a number of special features. Devices will be engineered to incorporate desired functionalities but, because of the difficulties of controlling matter precisely at the nanoscale with current technology, the nanodevice components must self-assemble. In addition, nanocomponents that are to have wide applicability in various devices must have enough flexibility to integrate into a large number of potentially very different environments. These challenges are daunting and complex, and artificial nanodevices have not yet been constructed. However, the existence of nanomachines in nature in the form of proteins (eg, enzymes) suggests that they will be possible to produce. As the material from which nature's nanomachines are made, proteins seem ideal to form the basis of engineered components of such nanodevices. Initially, engineering projects may focus on building blocks such as rings, cages and tubes, examples of which exist in nature and may act as a useful start point for modification and further development. This review focuses on the recent research and possible future development of such protein building blocks.
人们对设计和制造复杂纳米级器件的可能性抱有极大兴趣。此类器件将推动新材料、电子学和智能药物的发展。然而，制造复杂纳米级器件会带来诸多挑战，且此类器件的组件需要具备一些特殊特性。器件将被设计成具备所需功能，但由于当前技术在纳米尺度精确控制物质存在困难，纳米器件组件必须进行自组装。此外，要在各种器件中广泛应用的纳米组件必须具备足够的灵活性，以便能融入大量可能差异极大的环境中。这些挑战艰巨且复杂，人工纳米器件尚未制造出来。然而，自然界中以蛋白质（如酶）形式存在的纳米机器表明，制造它们是有可能的。作为构成自然界纳米机器的材料，蛋白质似乎是形成此类纳米器件工程组件基础的理想选择。最初，工程项目可能聚焦于如环、笼和管等构建模块，自然界中存在此类实例，它们可能作为修改和进一步开发的有用起点。本综述聚焦于此类蛋白质构建模块的近期研究及未来可能的发展。
