title: Design of a thermocontrollable protein complex.
abstract: It is widely recognized that stimuli-responsive nanostructures play a promising role in nanodevices for medical treatments and experimental tools. We have designed and constructed a basic structure which controls the distance between two termini domains through temperature reversibility. Our structure, shaped like a bouquet, is composed of two proteins, alpha-helix and elastin-like protein (ELP). Alpha-helices align and bundle the ELP while ELP twists and forms a fiber-like structure at warm temperatures. This ELP conformational change alters the distance between the structure termini at the site opposite the alpha-helix. We connected enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) and enhanced cyan fluorescent protein (ECFP) at the structure's two termini to evaluate the distance using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiency. These proteins spontaneously formed a complex which decreased the distance between the two fluorescent proteins located at its termini, at physiologically relevant temperatures. This change was repeated with complete reversibility (n = 5).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Information Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Hisakage
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Funabashi
authors.forename: Masayasu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mie
authors.forename: Eiry
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kobatake
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004549:Elastin / Q000737:chemistry; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C485182:Cyan Fluorescent Protein; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; C054562:yellow fluorescent protein, Bacteria; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D004549:Elastin