A Method to Design Self-Assembling Proteins
Internal structures of individual protein domains are not altered and it is sufficient to fuse naturally occurring proteins without making internal modifications. There is significant combinatorial power from connecting multiple protein components. Individual amino acids or additional protein domains can be incorporated easily in order to carry enzymatic activity, ligands for specific receptors, sites for specific chemical modifications, and antigenic epitopes. The chemical diversity of the proteins allows the incorporation of proteins with metal or ligand-sensitive conformations to form materials that will assemble and disassemble in response to a signal.
The methodology of designing self-assembling proteins can useful in the fields of nanotechnology and materials science. One major area for use is in drug delivery. In addition, the particles can be used to display multiple copies of antigens on their surface. In developing vaccines, this multivalent display tends to give extra strong immune responses.
UC researchers have accomplished this goal by developing a method to design proteins which will assemble into large symmetric materials from naturally symmetric oligomeric proteins. Component proteins are then combined in a well-defined fashion according to specified geometrical rules. The researchers have been able to construct well-defined protein-based shells and cages on the 10 to 20 nanometer length scale.
Patent Number: US6756039B1
Application Number: US2000564710A
Inventor: Yeates, Todd O. | Padilla, Jennifer | Colovos, Chris
Priority Date: 10 May 1999
Priority Number: US6756039B1
Application Date: 3 May 2000
Publication Date: 29 Jun 2004
IPC Current: C07K001411 | C12N000918
US Class: 4241921 | 43500612 | 43500613 | 4350691 | 4350697 | 435170 | 435171 | 4352523 | 435325 | 435455 | 455350 | 530300 | 530324 | 530350 | 530351 | 5360271 | 435006 | 435091 | 4351723 | 4352402 | 435254 | 435287 | 536027
Assignee Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
Title: Self assembling proteins
Usefulness: Self assembling proteins
Summary: (I) is used to build nanostructures. (II) in the form of open cages, closed shells or balls are useful for drug or gene delivery, or for stabilizing, shielding or sequestering other molecules in their cavities. The more compact structures are useful in presenting antigens or optically or electronically active chemical groups. Two dimensional layer structures are useful as biological coatings, sensors, detectors and molecular sieves. Three-dimensional layered structures are useful as molecular sieves, biological matrices and carriers for crystallizing small molecules.
Novelty: Fusion proteins for self-assembly into two and three-dimensional nanostructures comprise two oligomerization domains rigidly linked to each other
Biomedical
Bioengineering
6756039
BACKGROUND Additional Technologies by these Inventors Tech ID/UC Case 10134/1999-246-0 Related Cases 1999-246-0
Understanding the roles that molecular structure and self-assembly play in determining molecular architecture helps provide researchers with the possibility of designing unique materials using nanotechnology. Molecular self-assembly entails designing various molecules so shape-complementarity causes them to aggregate into specified structures. A major goal in nanotechnology is developing a single method for fabricating materials having different architectures and symmetries.
USA
