Work

Natural supramolecular protein assemblies

Year: 2015

Type: review

Abstract: Supramolecular protein assemblies are an emerging area within the chemical sciences, which combine the topological structures of the field of supramolecular chemistry and the state-of-the-art chemical biology approaches to unravel the formation and function of protein assemblies. Recent chemical and biological studies on natural multimeric protein structures, including fibers, rings, tubes, catenanes, knots, and cages, have shown that the quaternary structures of proteins are a prerequisite for their highly specific biological functions. In this review, we illustrate that a striking structural diversity of protein assemblies is present in nature. Furthermore, we describe structure-function relationship studies for selected classes of protein architectures, and we highlight the techniques that enable the characterisation of supramolecular protein structures.

Source: Chemical Society Reviews

DOI: 10.1039/c5cs00157a

Authors: Bas J. G. E. Pieters, Mark B. van Eldijk, Roeland J. M. Nolte, Jasmin Mecinović

Institutions: Radboud University Nijmegen, California Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials

Subfield: Biomaterials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Stichting voor de Technische Wetenschappen, FP7 Ideas: European Research Council

Award: Artificial Life-like Processive Systems