Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139; email:
Annu Rev Chem Biomol Eng. 2017 Jun 7;8:549-575. doi: 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-060816-101620.
Modern polymer science increasingly requires precise control over macromolecular structure and properties for engineering advanced materials and biomedical systems. The application of biological processes to design and synthesize artificial protein polymers offers a means for furthering macromolecular tunability, enabling polymers with dispersities of ∼1.0 and monomer-level sequence control. Taking inspiration from materials evolved in nature, scientists have created modular building blocks with simplified monomer sequences that replicate the function of natural systems. The corresponding protein engineering toolbox has enabled the systematic development of complex functional polymeric materials across areas as diverse as adhesives, responsive polymers, and medical materials. This review discusses the natural proteins that have inspired the development of key building blocks for protein polymer engineering and the function of these elements in material design. The prospects and progress for scalable commercialization of protein polymers are reviewed, discussing both technology needs and opportunities.
现代聚合物科学越来越需要对大分子结构和性能进行精确控制，以工程先进材料和生物医学系统。将生物过程应用于设计和合成人工蛋白质聚合物为进一步提高大分子的可调性提供了一种手段，使聚合物的分散度达到约 1.0 且具有单体水平的序列控制。受自然界中进化而来的材料的启发，科学家们创造了具有简化单体序列的模块化构建块，这些构建块复制了自然系统的功能。相应的蛋白质工程工具箱使复杂功能聚合物材料在各种领域的系统开发成为可能，如粘合剂、响应性聚合物和医用材料。本文综述了启发蛋白质聚合物工程关键构建块发展的天然蛋白质，以及这些元件在材料设计中的功能。综述了蛋白质聚合物可规模化商业化的前景和进展，讨论了技术需求和机遇。
