title: Selective protein complexation and coacervation by polyelectrolytes.
abstract: This review discusses the possible relationship between protein charge anisotropy, protein binding affinity, polymer structure, and selective phase separation. We hope that a fundamental understanding of primarily electrostatically driven protein-polyelectrolyte (PE) interactions can enable the prediction of selective protein binding, and hence selective coacervation through non-specific electrostatics. Such research will partially challenge the assumption that specific binding has to be realized through specific binding sites with a variety of short-range interactions and some geometric match. More specifically, the recent studies on selective binding of proteins by polyelectrolytes were examined from different assemblies in addition to the electrostatic features of proteins and PEs. At the end, the optimization of phase separation based on binding affinity for selective coacervation and some considerations relevant to using PEs for protein purification were also overviewed.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; Engineering Research Center of Materials Chemical Engineering of Xinjiang Bintuan, Shihezi University, Xinjiang 832000, China. Electronic address: yshxu@ecust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yisheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
authors.forename: Miaomiao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
authors.forename: Mostufa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faisal
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated of Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Si
authors.affiliation: Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100190,China. Electronic address: yanchuanguo@mail.ipc.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Yanchuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
keywords: Coacervation; Electrostatics; Non-specific interaction; Polyelectrolyte; Selectivity