title: Polymorphism and higher order structures of protein nanofibers from crude mixtures of fish lens crystallins: toward useful materials.
abstract: Protein nanofibers are emerging as useful biological nanomaterials for a number of applications, but to realize these applications requires a cheap and readily available source of fibril-forming protein material. We have identified fish lens crystallins as a feedstock for the production of protein nanofibers and report optimized methods for their production. Altering the conditions of formation leads to individual protein nanofibers assembling into much larger structures. The ability to control the morphology and form higher order structures is a crucial step in bottom up assembly of bionanomaterials. Cell toxicity assays suggest no adverse impact of these structures on mammalian cell proliferation. There are many possible applications for protein nanofibers; here we illustrate their potential as templates for nanowire formation, with a simple gold plating process.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jackie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Healy
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Elizabeth B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Sawyer
authors.forename: Clement
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roux
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Domigan
authors.forename: Sally L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Gras
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sunde
authors.forename: Nigel G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Juliet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerrard
authors.forename: Madhusudan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vasudevamurthy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003459:Crystallins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005399:Fishes; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000737:chemistry; D051379:Mice; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry*; D053770:Nanowires / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003459:Crystallins