Putri Rindia M, Cornelissen Jeroen J L M, Koay Melissa S T
Department of Biomolecular Nanotechnology, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 17, 7400AE Enschede (The Netherlands).
Chemphyschem. 2015 Apr 7;16(5):911-8. doi: 10.1002/cphc.201402722. Epub 2015 Jan 29.
Proteins and protein-based assemblies represent the most structurally and functionally diverse molecules found in nature. Protein cages, viruses and bacterial microcompartments are highly organized structures that are composed primarily of protein building blocks and play important roles in molecular ion storage, nucleic acid packaging and catalysis. The outer and inner surface of protein cages can be modified, either chemically or genetically, and the internal cavity can be used to template, store and arrange molecular cargo within a defined space. Owing to their structural, morphological, chemical and thermal diversity, protein cages have been investigated extensively for applications in nanotechnology, nanomedicine and materials science. Here we provide a concise overview of the most common icosahedral viral and nonviral assemblies, their role in nature, and why they are highly attractive scaffolds for the encapsulation of functional materials.
蛋白质及基于蛋白质的组装体是自然界中结构和功能最为多样的分子。蛋白质笼、病毒和细菌微区室是高度有序的结构，主要由蛋白质构建块组成，在分子离子储存、核酸包装和催化中发挥重要作用。蛋白质笼的外表面和内表面可通过化学或基因方法进行修饰，其内部空腔可用于在限定空间内对分子货物进行模板化、储存和排列。由于其结构、形态、化学和热学方面的多样性，蛋白质笼已被广泛研究用于纳米技术、纳米医学和材料科学领域。在此，我们简要概述了最常见的二十面体病毒和非病毒组装体、它们在自然界中的作用，以及为何它们是用于封装功能材料的极具吸引力的支架。
