title: Encapsulation of a rhodamine dye within a bile acid binding protein: toward water processable functional bio host-guest materials.
abstract: New strategies are requested for the preparation of bioinspired host-guest complexes to be employed in technologically relevant applications, as sensors and optoelectronic devices. We report here a new approach employing a single monomeric protein as host for the strongly fluorescent rhodamine dye. The selected protein, belonging to the intracellular lipid binding protein family, fully encapsulates one rhodamine molecule inside its cavity forming a host-guest complex stabilized by H and π-hydrogen bonds, a salt bridge, and favorable hydrophobic contacts, as revealed by the NMR derived structural model. The protein-dye solutions are easily processable and form homogeneous thin films exhibiting excellent photophysical and morphological properties, as derived from photoluminescence and AFM data. The obtained results represent the proof of concept of the viability of this bio host-guest system for the development of bioinspired optoelectronic devices.
authors.affiliation: Istituto per lo Studio delle Macromolecole, CNR , via Bassini 15, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomaselli
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Giovanella
authors.forename: Katiuscia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pagano
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zanzoni
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Assfalg
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meinardi
authors.forename: Henriette
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Botta
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ragona
mesh_terms: D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008422:Materials Testing; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D012235:Rhodamines; C037643:bile acid binding proteins; D014867:Water