Rational design of a photo-responsive UVR8-derived protein and a self-assembling peptide-protein conjugate for responsive hydrogel formation

Nanoscale. 2015 Oct 28;7(40):16666-70. doi: 10.1039/c5nr05213k.

Abstract

Responsive hydrogels hold great potential in controllable drug delivery, regenerative medicine, sensing, etc. We introduced in this study the first example of a photo-responsive protein for hydrogel formation. Based on the first example of the crystal structure of a photo-responsive protein, Arabidopsis thaliana protein UVR8, we designed and expressed its derived protein UVR8-1 with a hexa-peptide WRESAI. We also prepared supramolecular nanofibers with a TIP-1 protein at their surface. The simple mixing of these two components resulted in rapid hydrogel formation through the specific interactions between the protein TIP-1 and the peptide WRESAI. Since the protein could show a reversible dimer-monomer transformation, the resulting gels also showed a reversible gel-sol phase transition which was controlled by photo-irradiation. The photo-controllable gel-sol phase transition could be applied for protein delivery and cell separation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acyltransferases / chemistry*
  • Acyltransferases / genetics
  • Arabidopsis / chemistry*
  • Arabidopsis / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / chemistry*
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / chemistry*
  • Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / genetics
  • Hydrogels / chemistry*
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Peptides / genetics

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone
  • Hydrogels
  • Peptides
  • Uvr8 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Acyltransferases
  • TIP1 protein, Arabidopsis