A REDOR ssNMR Investigation of the Role of an N-Terminus Lysine in R5 Silica Recognition.

ABSTRACT: Diatoms are unicellular algae that construct cell walls called frustules by the precipitation of silica, using special proteins that order the silica into a wide variety of nanostructures. The diatom species Cylindrotheca fusiformis contains proteins called silaffins within its frustules, which are believed to assemble into supramolecular matrices that serve as both accelerators and templates for silica deposition. Studying the properties of these biosilicification proteins has allowed the design of new protein and peptide systems that generate customizable silica nanostructures, with potential generalization to other mineral systems. It is essential to understand the mechanisms of aggregation of the protein and its coprecipitation with silica. We continue previous investigations into the

SUBMITTER: Ndao M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6785185 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature