Solvent-Induced Assembly of Microbial Protein Nanowires into Superstructured Bundles

Assembly of oleosin during efficient extraction: Altering the sequence of defatting solvents

During the extraction of membrane proteins from oil bodies (OBs), organic solvents dissolve the lipid core and precipitate proteins through solvent stress. Here the effects of solvent type and defatting sequence on the composition and structure of membrane proteins were investigated via SDS-PAGE, FTIR, and SEM-EDS. High purity oleosin (86 %) was obtained by treatment first with a Floch solution and then with cold acetone and petroleum ether after twice washing OBs with urea. The 3D spatial structure of oleosin was predicted using AlphaFold 2, revealing that the secondary structure of oleosin was dominated by α-helices (>60 %). Oleosin consisted of two district types, with oleosin-H (16-17 kDa) being the part of the molecule with limited water solubility, while oleosin-L (13-14 kDa) constituted the non-soluble part. The results provided a technical means of efficient extraction of Camellia oleosins and selective separation of oleosin-L and oleosin-H.

Engineering Geobacter pili to produce metal:organic filaments

The organized self-assembly of conductive biological structures holds promise for creating new bioelectronic devices. In particular, Geobacter sulfurreducens type IVa pili have proven to be a versatile material for fabricating protein nanowire-based devices. To scale the production of conductive pili, we designed a strain of Shewanella oneidensis that heterologously expressed abundant, conductive Geobacter pili when grown aerobically in liquid culture. S. oneidensis expressing a cysteine-modified pilin, designed to enhance the capability to bind to gold, generated conductive pili that self-assembled into biohybrid filaments in the presence of gold nanoparticles. Elemental composition analysis confirmed the filament-metal interactions within the structures, which were several orders of magnitude larger than previously described metal:organic filaments. The results demonstrate that the S. oneidensis chassis significantly advances the possibilities for facile conductive protein nanowire design and fabrication.

Bionanomaterials based on protein self-assembly: Design and applications in biotechnology

Elegant protein assembly to generate new biomaterials undergoes extremely rapid development for wide extension of biotechnology applications, which can be a powerful tool not only for creating nanomaterials but also for advancing understanding of the structure of life. Unique biological properties of proteins bestow these artificial biomaterials diverse functions that can permit them to be applied in encapsulation, bioimaging, biocatalysis, biosensors, photosynthetic apparatus, electron transport, magnetogenetic applications, vaccine development and antibodies design. This review gives a perspective view of the latest advances in the construction of protein-based nanomaterials. We initially start with distinguishable, specific interactions to construct sundry nanomaterials through protein self-assembly and concisely expound the assembly mechanism from the design strategy. And then, the design and construction of 0D, 1D, 2D, 3D protein assembled nanomaterials are especially highlighted. Furthermore, the potential applications have been discussed in detail. Overall, this review will illustrate how to fabricate highly sophisticated nanomaterials oriented toward applications in biotechnology based on the rules of supramolecular chemistry.

Current Progress of Interfacing Organic Semiconducting Materials with Bacteria

Microbial bioelectronics require interfacing microorganisms with electrodes. The resulting abiotic/biotic platforms provide the basis of a range of technologies, including energy conversion and diagnostic assays. Organic semiconductors (OSCs) provide a unique strategy to modulate the interfaces between microbial systems and external electrodes, thereby improving the performance of these incipient technologies. In this review, we explore recent progress in the field on how OSCs, and related materials capable of charge transport, are being used within the context of microbial systems, and more specifically bacteria. We begin by examining the electrochemical communication modes in bacteria and the biological basis for charge transport. Different types of synthetic organic materials that have been designed and synthesized for interfacing and interrogating bacteria are discussed next, followed by the most commonly used characterization techniques for evaluating transport in microbial, synthetic, and hybrid systems. A range of applications is subsequently examined, including biological sensors and energy conversion systems. The review concludes by summarizing what has been accomplished so far and suggests future design approaches for OSC bioelectronics materials and technologies that hybridize characteristic properties of microbial and OSC systems.

Macroscopic Assembly of Sericin toward Self-Healable Silk

Silk contains an adhesive glycoprotein, silk sericin, in which silk fibroins can be enfolded and chemically stabilized. Silk sericin is gaining importance as the material for the creation of functional bioscaffolds. However, the assembly of silk sericin is generally limited to the blend of polymers or proteins due to its inherent poor mechanical strength. Here, we report a simple macroscopic controlled assembly of silk sericin fibers based on their secondary structure via wet-spinning. In addition, plasticization of silk sericin using glycerol immobilized with glutaraldehyde was found to induce dimensional stability, affording stable linear fibers with self-adhesion. Furthermore, cyclo-phenylalanine nanowires were incorporated into the silk sericin dope for a practical demonstration of their potential in artificial silk production with superstructure formation. The physicochemical characteristics of the spun fibers have also been elucidated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy, tensile test, differential scanning calorimetry, and 2D X-ray diffraction.

Electromicrobiology: the ecophysiology of phylogenetically diverse electroactive microorganisms

Electroactive microorganisms markedly affect many environments in which they establish outer-surface electrical contacts with other cells and minerals or reduce soluble extracellular redox-active molecules such as flavins and humic substances. A growing body of research emphasizes their broad phylogenetic diversity and shows that these microorganisms have key roles in multiple biogeochemical cycles, as well as the microbiome of the gut, anaerobic waste digesters and metal corrosion. Diverse bacteria and archaea have independently evolved cytochrome-based strategies for electron exchange between the outer cell surface and the cell interior, but cytochrome-free mechanisms are also prevalent. Electrically conductive protein filaments, soluble electron shuttles and non-biological conductive materials can substantially extend the electronic reach of microorganisms beyond the surface of the cell. The growing appreciation of the diversity of electroactive microorganisms and their unique electronic capabilities is leading to a broad range of applications.