scholarly journals Forced protein unfolding leads to highly elastic and tough protein hydrogels

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Fang ◽  
Alexander Mehlich ◽  
Nobuyasu Koga ◽  
Jiqing Huang ◽  
Rie Koga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Unfolding ◽  
Protein Hydrogels

scholarly journals Chemical unfolding of protein domains induces shape change in programmed protein hydrogels

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luai R. Khoury ◽  
Ionel Popa
Keyword(s):  
Protein Unfolding ◽  
Shape Change ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Protein Mechanics ◽  
Protein Polymer ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Biomechanical Response ◽  
Polymer Interactions ◽  
Smart Biomaterials ◽  
Protein Hydrogels

AbstractProgrammable behavior combined with tailored stiffness and tunable biomechanical response are key requirements for developing successful materials. However, these properties are still an elusive goal for protein-based biomaterials. Here, we use protein-polymer interactions to manipulate the stiffness of protein-based hydrogels made from bovine serum albumin (BSA) by using polyelectrolytes such as polyethyleneimine (PEI) and poly-L-lysine (PLL) at various concentrations. This approach confers protein-hydrogels with tunable wide-range stiffness, from ~10–64 kPa, without affecting the protein mechanics and nanostructure. We use the 6-fold increase in stiffness induced by PEI to program BSA hydrogels in various shapes. By utilizing the characteristic protein unfolding we can induce reversible shape-memory behavior of these composite materials using chemical denaturing solutions. The approach demonstrated here, based on protein engineering and polymer reinforcing, may enable the development and investigation of smart biomaterials and extend protein hydrogel capabilities beyond their conventional applications.

scholarly journals Chemical unfolding of protein domains induces shape change in programmed protein hydrogels

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luai R. Khoury ◽  
Ionel Popa
Keyword(s):  
Protein Unfolding ◽  
Shape Change ◽  
Protein Domains ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Protein Mechanics ◽  
Protein Polymer ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Biomechanical Response ◽  
Protein Hydrogels

Abstract Programmable behavior combined with tailored stiffness and tunable biomechanical response are key requirements for developing successful materials. However, these properties are still an elusive goal for protein-based biomaterials. Here, we present a new method based on protein-polymer interactions, to manipulate the stiffness of protein-based hydrogels made from bovine serum albumin (BSA) by using polyelectrolytes such as poly(Ethelene)imine (PEI) and poly-L-lysine (PLL) at various concentrations. This approach confers protein-hydrogels tunable wide-range stiffness, from ~ 10 - 60 kPa when treated with PEI, without affecting the protein mechanics and nanostructure. We ascribe the increase in stiffness to the synergistic effect of the non-covalent electrostatic polymer-protein interaction, as well as the polymer-shell that stabilizes the protein domains nanomechanics. We use the 6-fold increase in stiffness induced by PEI to program BSA-hydrogels in various shapes. By utilizing the characteristic protein unfolding we can induce reversible shape-memory behavior of these composite materials using chemical denaturing solutions. We anticipate this novel approach based on protein engineering and polymer reinforcing will enable the development and investigation of new smart biomaterials and extend protein hydrogel capabilities beyond their conventional applications.

scholarly journals Protein Hydrogels: The Swiss Army Knife for Enhanced Mechanical and Bioactive Properties of Biomaterials

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1656
Author(s):  
Carla Huerta-López ◽  
Jorge Alegre-Cebollada
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Tissue Engineering ◽  
Polymer Networks ◽  
Biological Tissues ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Biomedical Sciences ◽  
Protein Hydrogels ◽  
Large Water ◽  
Design Options

Biomaterials are dynamic tools with many applications: from the primitive use of bone and wood in the replacement of lost limbs and body parts, to the refined involvement of smart and responsive biomaterials in modern medicine and biomedical sciences. Hydrogels constitute a subtype of biomaterials built from water-swollen polymer networks. Their large water content and soft mechanical properties are highly similar to most biological tissues, making them ideal for tissue engineering and biomedical applications. The mechanical properties of hydrogels and their modulation have attracted a lot of attention from the field of mechanobiology. Protein-based hydrogels are becoming increasingly attractive due to their endless design options and array of functionalities, as well as their responsiveness to stimuli. Furthermore, just like the extracellular matrix, they are inherently viscoelastic in part due to mechanical unfolding/refolding transitions of folded protein domains. This review summarizes different natural and engineered protein hydrogels focusing on different strategies followed to modulate their mechanical properties. Applications of mechanically tunable protein-based hydrogels in drug delivery, tissue engineering and mechanobiology are discussed.

scholarly journals Protein unfolding by SDS: the microscopic mechanisms and the properties of the SDS-protein assembly

Nanoscale ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 5422-5434 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Winogradoff ◽  
Shalini John ◽  
Aleksei Aksimentiev
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Molecular Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Anionic Surfactant ◽  
Protein Unfolding ◽  
Protein Assembly ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations reveal how anionic surfactant SDS and heat unfold full-length proteins.

scholarly journals Functional silk fibroin hydrogels: preparation, properties and applications

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Zheng ◽  
Baoqi Zuo
Keyword(s):  
Silk Fibroin ◽  
Silk Protein ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Protein Hydrogels

This article reviews the current status of the preparation, properties and application of functional silk protein hydrogels.

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