Obermeyer Allie C, Olsen Bradley D
Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
ACS Macro Lett. 2015 Jan 20;4(1):101-110. doi: 10.1021/mz500732e. Epub 2015 Jan 5.
Proteins possess an impressive array of functionality ranging from catalytic activity to selective binding and mechanical strength, making them highly attractive for materials engineering. Conjugation of synthetic polymers to proteins has the potential to improve the physical properties of the protein as well as provide functionality not typically found in native proteins, such as stimuli-responsive behavior and the programmable ability to self-assemble. This viewpoint discusses the design of protein-polymer conjugates, an important class of block copolymers. Use of these hybrid molecules in biological and catalytic applications is highlighted, and the ability of the polymer to direct the solution and solid-state self-assembly of the hybrid block copolymers is reviewed. Future challenges in polymer and material science that will enable these hybrid molecules to reach their potential as protein-based materials are outlined.
蛋白质具有一系列令人印象深刻的功能,从催化活性到选择性结合以及机械强度,这使得它们在材料工程领域极具吸引力。将合成聚合物与蛋白质共轭有潜力改善蛋白质的物理性质,并提供天然蛋白质通常不具备的功能,如刺激响应行为和可编程的自组装能力。本文观点讨论了蛋白质-聚合物共轭物(一类重要的嵌段共聚物)的设计。重点介绍了这些杂化分子在生物和催化应用中的用途,并综述了聚合物引导杂化嵌段共聚物在溶液和固态中自组装的能力。概述了聚合物和材料科学未来面临的挑战,这些挑战将使这些杂化分子能够发挥其作为蛋白质基材料的潜力。