Hong Kong University of Science and Technology develops new "smart" protein hydrogels

Release date: 2017-07-12

Hydrogels, which are known for their biomimetic properties, are the primary materials for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, stem cell therapy. Traditional hydrogels consist of synthetic polymers or natural biomolecules, often used as passive scaffolds for molecules or cells that do not completely cover dynamic signals involved in biological processes, such as cell/tissue development.

Photo-responsive hydrogels are characterized by controlled molecular or cellular behavior, high spatial and temporal precision, and small invasiveness. The main challenge for scientists to use light-responsive hydrogels instead of traditional hydrogels is how to effectively assemble these complex globular proteins into supramolecular structures while maintaining function.

Recently, scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology created a B12-dependent photo-sensing hydrogel under mild conditions by covalently splicing the photoreceptor C-terminal adenosylcobalamin binding domain (CarHC) protein. B12-dependent light-sensing hydrogel). This method of assembling stimulating-reactive protein directly into a hydrogel provides a versatile solution for the design of "smart" biomaterials, opening up tremendous opportunities for future biomaterial development.

The findings were published in the recent (June 6) issue of PNAS.

“By synthesizing SpyTag-SpyCatcher chemistry, we covalently assembled CarHC photoreceptor proteins and created a photoreceptor hydrogel based on fully recombinant proteins,” said the author, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Fei Sun said. "AdoB12-dependent CarHC tetramers have been shown to be essential for the formation of elastic hydrogels under dark conditions, and when light-induced CarHC disintegration, it can rapidly perform gel-sol transitions."

"The resulting hydrogel component exhibits a rapid gel-sol transition in light exposure, allowing gentle release/recovery of 3T3 fibroblasts and human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in 3D culture while maintaining Cell viability," Sun said. "The need to create stimulus-responsive 'smart' hydrogels is growing, and our strategy for self-assembly into hydrogels directly with stimulus-response proteins can be used as a general strategy for designing dynamically tunable biomaterials. ”

Source: Biopass

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