Bioinspired genetic engineering of supramolecular assembled formate dehydrogenase with enhanced biocatalysis activities.

A bioinspired strategy for the synthesis of supramolecular and biocatalytical materials was developed base on protein-protein supramolecular interaction and genetic engineering. Formate dehydrogenase (FDH) and its functional fragments were separately fused to form a multi-function domain. The fusion proteins and functional fragments self-assembled into the expanded and controllable supramolecular interaction networks. Morphology characterization by scanning-electron microscopy showed that the assembled functional fragments and fusion proteins formed multi-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) layer-like structures. Moreover, the oligomeric biocatalysts exhibited higher structural stability and NAD(H) recycling efficiency than the unassembled structures when they were applied to a co-enzyme regeneration system. These results suggest that the bioinspired strategy provides a promising approach for the fabrication of supramolecular FDH materials via genetic engineering and self-assembly. The significant improvement on the biocatalytical activity reveals the essential role of supramolecular interface design in their biocatalysis applications.