title: Engineering protein interfaces yields ferritin disassembly and reassembly under benign experimental conditions.
abstract: Ferritin nanocages are promising platforms for drug encapsulation. However, extreme conditions (pH ≤ 2) required for dissociation limit their application. Here, we engineered protein interfaces to yield ferritin nanocages which disassemble at pH 4.0 and reassemble at pH 7.5. During this process, bioactive molecules can be encapsulated within the protein cavity.
authors.affiliation: The Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100083, China. gzhao@cau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D005293:Ferritins / Q000737:chemistry*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D015202:Protein Engineering
chemical_list: D005293:Ferritins