Blueprinting extendable nanomaterials with standardized protein blocks. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38480887/)

These scientists wanted to build tiny structures out of proteins, which are like building blocks in our bodies. They wanted to make these structures in specific shapes, just like how we build houses with specific shapes using wood. But building structures with proteins is much more complicated because proteins have irregular shapes.

So, these scientists came up with special protein building blocks that could be extended, curved, or angled to fit together in specific ways. They also created interactions between these blocks so they could be easily expanded or shrunk by adding or removing blocks. They used techniques like X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy to confirm that their designs worked, ranging from simple shapes like circles and polygons to more complex shapes like large polyhedral nanocages.

Before this study, it was difficult to build large protein structures because of the complexity of protein shapes and how they are put together. But with the new design platform created by these scientists, it became easier to build protein structures just like drawing on a blank canvas. This means scientists can now create protein structures according to specific blueprints, just like architects design houses on paper.

Huddy TF., Hsia Y., Kibler RD., Xu J., Bethel N., Nagarajan D., Redler R., Leung PJY., Weidle C., Courbet A., Yang EC., Bera AK., Coudray N., Calise SJ., Davila-Hernandez FA., Han HL., Carr KD., Li Z., McHugh R., Reggiano G., Kang A., Sankaran B., Dickinson MS., Coventry B., Brunette TJ., Liu Y., Dauparas J., Borst AJ., Ekiert D., Kollman JM., Bhabha G., Baker D. Blueprinting extendable nanomaterials with standardized protein blocks. Nature. 2024 Mar 13. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07188-4.