Protein-directed self-assembly of a fullerene crystal.
Learning to engineer self-assembly would enable the precise organization of molecules by design to create matter with tailored properties. Here we demonstrate that proteins can direct the self-assembly of buckminsterfullerene (C60) into ordered superstructures. A previously engineered tetrameric helical bundle binds C60 in solution, rendering it water soluble. Two tetramers associate with one C60, promoting further organization revealed in a 1.67-Å crystal structure. Fullerene groups occupy periodic lattice sites, sandwiched between two Tyr residues from adjacent tetramers. Strikingly, the assembly exhibits high charge conductance, whereas both the protein-alone crystal and amorphous C60 are electrically insulating. The affinity of C60 for its crystal-binding site is estimated to be in the nanomolar range, with lattices of known protein crystals geometrically compatible with incorporating the motif. Taken together, these findings suggest a new means of organizing fullerene molecules into a rich variety of lattices to generate new properties by design.
SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea.
Kook-Han
KH
Kim
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA.
Dong-Kyun
DK
Ko
SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea.
Yong-Tae
YT
Kim
SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea.
Nam Hyeong
NH
Kim
School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 752050, India.
Jaydeep
J
Paul
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, USA.|Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
Shao-Qing
SQ
Zhang
Department of Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
Christopher B
CB
Murray
School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 752050, India.
Rudresh
R
Acharya
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, USA.
William F
WF
DeGrado
SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea.|Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Korea.
Yong Ho
YH
Kim
Department of Computer Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA.
Gevorg
G
Grigoryan
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D011485:Protein Binding; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012996:Solutions; D055672:Static Electricity
D037741:Fullerenes; D010455:Peptides; D012996:Solutions; C069837:fullerene C60