Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Rue Michel Servet 1, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shandong First Medical University (Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences), Tai'an 271016, China.
Biomolecules. 2024 Oct 31;14(11):1388. doi: 10.3390/biom14111388.
Artificial bio-nanocoatings, primarily composed of proteins, offer a broad range of applications across various fields thanks to their unique properties. Proteins, as major components of these structures, enable a high degree of customization, such as mutations, conjugation with other molecules or nanoparticles, or the inclusion of an enzymatic activity. Their ability to self-assembly simplifies the production of bio-nanocoatings, making this process efficient and environment-friendly. Despite these advantages, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying self-assembly mechanism is lacking, and the reaction rates governing this process have not been characterized. In this article, we introduce a novel method to determine the key parameters describing the self-assembly mechanism of bio-nanostructures. For the first time, this approach enables an accurate calculation of the autocatalytic and self-inhibitory parameters controlling the process. Through mathematical modeling, our method enhances the understanding of how the protein-based nanocoatings form and opens new avenues for their application in nanotechnology and synthetic biology. Improved control over the self-assembly processes may enable the development of nanomaterials optimized for specific functions, such as drug delivery, biosensing, and bioactive surface fabrication.
人工生物纳米涂层主要由蛋白质组成，由于其独特的性质，在各个领域都有广泛的应用。这些结构中的蛋白质作为主要成分，使其具有高度的定制化能力，例如突变、与其他分子或纳米颗粒的缀合，或酶活性的包含。它们的自组装能力简化了生物纳米涂层的生产，使这一过程高效且环保。尽管具有这些优势，但对其底层自组装机制的全面理解仍存在欠缺，而且尚未对控制该过程的反应速率进行表征。在本文中，我们引入了一种新方法来确定描述生物纳米结构自组装机制的关键参数。首次，该方法能够准确计算控制该过程的自催化和自抑制参数。通过数学建模，我们的方法增强了对基于蛋白质的纳米涂层形成方式的理解，并为它们在纳米技术和合成生物学中的应用开辟了新的途径。对自组装过程的更好控制可能使能够开发出针对特定功能（如药物输送、生物传感和生物活性表面制造）进行优化的纳米材料。
