title: Magnetic control of protein spatial patterning to direct microtubule self-assembly.
abstract: Living systems offer attractive strategies to generate nanoscale structures because of their innate functional properties such as the dynamic assembly of ordered nanometer fibers, the generation of mechanical forces, or the directional transport mediated by molecular motors. The design of hybrid systems, capable of interfacing artificial building blocks with biomolecules, may be a key step toward the rational design of nanoscale devices and materials. Here, we have designed a bottom-up approach to organize cytoskeletal elements in space using the self-assembly properties of magnetic nanoparticles conjugated to signaling proteins involved in microtubule nucleation. We show that magnetic nanoparticles conjugated to signaling proteins involved in microtubule nucleation can control the positioning of microtubule assembly. Under a magnetic field, a self-organized pattern of biofunctionalized nanoparticles is formed and leads to the nucleation of a periodical network of microtubules in Xenopus laevis egg extract. Our method shows how bioactive nanoparticles can generate a biochemically active pattern upon magnetic actuation, which triggers the spatial organization of nonequilibrium biological structures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Ecole Normale Supérieure , UMR 8640 CNRS-ENS-UPMC Pasteur, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazari
authors.forename: Charlie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gosse
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonnemay
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hostachy
authors.forename: Jérémie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gautier
authors.forename: Zoher
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gueroui
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D008280:Magnetics; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008870:Microtubules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000378:metabolism; D020931:ran GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers; D011506:Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D020931:ran GTP-Binding Protein