title: Directed formation of micro- and nanoscale patterns of functional light-harvesting LH2 complexes.
abstract: The precision placement of the desired protein components on a suitable substrate is an essential prelude to any hybrid "biochip" device, but a second and equally important condition must also be met: the retention of full biological activity. Here we demonstrate the selective binding of an optically active membrane protein, the light-harvesting LH2 complex from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, to patterned self-assembled monolayers at the micron scale and the fabrication of nanometer-scale patterns of these molecules using near-field photolithographic methods. In contrast to plasma proteins, which are reversibly adsorbed on many surfaces, the LH2 complex is readily patterned simply by spatial control of surface polarity. Near-field photolithography has yielded rows of light-harvesting complexes only 98 nm wide. Retention of the native optical properties of patterned LH2 molecules was demonstrated using in situ fluorescence emission spectroscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Nicholas P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Janusz
authors.forename: Maryana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Escalante-Marun
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Timney
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Ducker
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Cees
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Otto
authors.forename: Vinod
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Subramaniam
authors.forename: Graham J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Leggett
authors.forename: C Neil
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Hunter
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes / Q000378:metabolism*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010777:Photochemistry; D012242:Rhodobacter sphaeroides / Q000201:enzymology; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance
chemical_list: D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes