title: Amyloid Fibrils as Building Blocks for Natural and Artificial Functional Materials.
abstract: Proteinaceous materials based on the amyloid core structure have recently been discovered at the origin of biological functionality in a remarkably diverse set of roles, and attention is increasingly turning towards such structures as the basis of artificial self-assembling materials. These roles contrast markedly with the original picture of amyloid fibrils as inherently pathological structures. Here we outline the salient features of this class of functional materials, both in the context of the functional roles that have been revealed for amyloid fibrils in nature, as well as in relation to their potential as artificial materials. We discuss how amyloid materials exemplify the emergence of function from protein self-assembly at multiple length scales. We focus on the connections between mesoscale structure and material function, and demonstrate how the natural examples of functional amyloids illuminate the potential applications for future artificial protein based materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Tuomas P J
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Knowles
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.|Department of Materials Science, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mezzenga
mesh_terms: D000682:Amyloid / Q000737:chemistry*; D018441:Biofilms; D001688:Biological Products / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008420:Manufactured Materials
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D001688:Biological Products
keywords: amyloid fibrils; functional materials; proteins; self-assembly