Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Delft, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
Nanoscale. 2024 Feb 29;16(9):4890-4899. doi: 10.1039/d3nr06423a.
Cytoskeletal protein filaments such as actin and microtubules confer mechanical support to cells and facilitate many cellular functions such as motility and division. Recent years have witnessed the development of a variety of molecular scaffolds that mimic such filaments. Indeed, filaments that are programmable and compatible with biological systems may prove useful in studying or substituting such proteins. Here, we explore the use of ssRNA tiles to build and modify filaments . We engineer a number of functionalities that are crucial to the function of natural proteins filaments into the ssRNA tiles, including the abilities to assemble or disassemble filaments, to tune the filament stiffness, to induce membrane binding, and to bind proteins. This work paves the way for building dynamic cytoskeleton-mimicking systems made out of rationally designed ssRNA tiles that can be transcribed in natural or synthetic cells.
细胞骨架蛋白丝，如肌动蛋白和微管，为细胞提供机械支撑，并促进许多细胞功能，如运动和分裂。近年来，已经开发出多种模拟这种纤维的分子支架。事实上，可编程且与生物系统兼容的纤维可能有助于研究或替代这些蛋白质。在这里，我们探索使用 ssRNA 瓦片来构建和修饰纤维。我们将许多对天然蛋白质纤维功能至关重要的功能设计到 ssRNA 瓦片中，包括组装或拆卸纤维、调节纤维硬度、诱导膜结合和结合蛋白质的能力。这项工作为构建由合理设计的 ssRNA 瓦片组成的、可以在天然或合成细胞中转录的动态细胞骨架模拟系统铺平了道路。
