title: Virus-based photo-responsive nanowires formed by linking site-directed mutagenesis and chemical reaction.
abstract: Owing to the genetic flexibility and error-free bulk production, bio-nanostructures such as filamentous phage showed great potential in materials synthesis, however, their photo-responsive behaviour is neither explored nor unveiled. Here we show M13 phage genetically engineered with tyrosine residues precisely fused to the major coat protein is converted into a photo-responsive organic nanowire by a site-specific chemical reaction with an aromatic amine to form an azo dye structure on the surface. The resulting azo-M13-phage nanowire exhibits reversible photo-responsive properties due to the photo-switchable cis-trans isomerisation of the azo unit formed on the phage. This result shows that site-specific display of a peptide on bio-nanostructures through site-directed genetic mutagenesis can be translated into site-directed chemical reaction for developing advanced materials. The photo-responsive properties of the azo-M13-phage nanowires may open the door for the development of light controllable smart devices for use in non-linear optics, holography data storage, molecular antenna, and actuators.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, 101 Stephenson Parkway, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA.
authors.forename: Murali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murugesan
authors.forename: Gopal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Abbineni
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Nimmo
authors.forename: Binrui
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Chuanbin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mao
mesh_terms: D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D017104:Bacteriophage M13 / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D001391:Azo Compounds; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments