The sensitivity and responsiveness of living cells to environmental changes are enabled by dynamic protein structures, inspiring efforts to construct artificial supramolecular protein assemblies. However, despite their sophisticated structures, designed protein assemblies have yet to be incorporated into macroscale devices for real-life applications. We report a 2D crystalline protein assembly of C98/E57/E66L-rhamnulose-1-phosphate aldolase (CEERhuA) that selectively blocks or passes molecular species when exposed to a chemical trigger. CEERhuA crystals are engineered via cobalt(II) coordination bonds to undergo a coherent conformational change from a closed state (pore dimensions <1 nm) to an ajar state (pore dimensions ~4 nm) when exposed to an HCN(g) trigger. When layered onto a mesoporous silicon (pSi) photonic crystal optical sensor configured to detect HCN(g), the 2D CEERhuA crystal layer effectively blocks interferents that would otherwise result in a false positive signal. The 2D CEERhuA crystal layer opens in selective response to low-ppm levels of HCN(g), allowing analyte penetration into the pSi sensor layer for detection. These findings illustrate that designed protein assemblies can function as dynamic components of solid-state devices in non-aqueous environments.
Vijayakumar, Sanahan, et al. "Designed 2D protein crystals as dynamic molecular gatekeepers for a solid-state device." Nature Communications, vol. 15, no. 1, Jul. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50567-8
Vijayakumar, Sanahan, Alberstein, Robert G., Zhang, Zhiyin, Lu, Yi-Sheng, Chan, Adriano, Wahl, Charlotte E., Ha, James S., Hunka, Deborah E., Boss, Gerry R., Sailor, Michael J., & Tezcan, F. Akif (2024). Designed 2D protein crystals as dynamic molecular gatekeepers for a solid-state device. Nature Communications, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50567-8
Vijayakumar, Sanahan, Alberstein, Robert G., Zhang, Zhiyin, et al., "Designed 2D protein crystals as dynamic molecular gatekeepers for a solid-state device," Nature Communications 15, no. 1 (2024), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50567-8
@article{osti_2406987,
author = {Vijayakumar, Sanahan and Alberstein, Robert G. and Zhang, Zhiyin and Lu, Yi-Sheng and Chan, Adriano and Wahl, Charlotte E. and Ha, James S. and Hunka, Deborah E. and Boss, Gerry R. and Sailor, Michael J. and others},
title = {Designed 2D protein crystals as dynamic molecular gatekeepers for a solid-state device},
annote = {The sensitivity and responsiveness of living cells to environmental changes are enabled by dynamic protein structures, inspiring efforts to construct artificial supramolecular protein assemblies. However, despite their sophisticated structures, designed protein assemblies have yet to be incorporated into macroscale devices for real-life applications. We report a 2D crystalline protein assembly of C98/E57/E66L-rhamnulose-1-phosphate aldolase (CEERhuA) that selectively blocks or passes molecular species when exposed to a chemical trigger. CEERhuA crystals are engineered via cobalt(II) coordination bonds to undergo a coherent conformational change from a closed state (pore dimensions <1 nm) to an ajar state (pore dimensions ~4 nm) when exposed to an HCN(g) trigger. When layered onto a mesoporous silicon (pSi) photonic crystal optical sensor configured to detect HCN(g), the 2D CEERhuA crystal layer effectively blocks interferents that would otherwise result in a false positive signal. The 2D CEERhuA crystal layer opens in selective response to low-ppm levels of HCN(g), allowing analyte penetration into the pSi sensor layer for detection. These findings illustrate that designed protein assemblies can function as dynamic components of solid-state devices in non-aqueous environments.},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-024-50567-8},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/2406987},
journal = {Nature Communications},
issn = {ISSN 2041-1723},
number = {1},
volume = {15},
place = {United States},
publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
year = {2024},
month = {07}}
University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)
; University of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Science Foundation (NSF); Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA); USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division (MSE)