Injectable, photoresponsive hydrogels for delivering neuroprotective proteins enabled by metal-directed protein assembly.

ABSTRACT: Axon regeneration constitutes a fundamental challenge for regenerative neurobiology, which necessitates the use of tailor-made biomaterials for controllable delivery of cells and biomolecules. An increasingly popular approach for creating these materials is to directly assemble engineered proteins into high-order structures, a process that often relies on sophisticated protein chemistry. Here, we present a simple approach for creating injectable, photoresponsive hydrogels via metal-directed assembly of His6-tagged proteins. The B₁₂-dependent photoreceptor protein CarH_C can complex with transition metal ions through an amino-terminal His6-tag, which can further undergo a sol-gel transition upon addition of AdoB₁₂, leading to the formation of hydrogels with m

SUBMITTER: Jiang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7546710 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature