Controlling protein nanocage assembly with hydrostatic pressure

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c07285

Authors: Kristian Le Vay (University of Bristol) , Ben M. Carter (University of Bristol) , Daniel W. Watkins (University of Bristol) , T.-Y. Dora Tang (University of Bristol) , Valeska P. Ting (University of Bristol) , Helmut Cölfen (University of Konstanz) , Robert P. Rambo (Diamond Light Source) , Andrew J. Smith (Diamond Light Source) , J. L. Ross Anderson (University of Bristol) , Adam W. Perriman (University of Bristol)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Journal Of The American Chemical Society

State: Published (Approved)
Published: November 2020
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 8327 , 9367 , 11615 , 10054 , 1318 , 16020 , 14069

Abstract: Controlling the assembly and disassembly of nanoscale protein cages for the capture and internalization of protein or non-proteinaceous components is fundamentally important to a diverse range of bionanotechnological applications. Here, we study the reversible, pressure-induced dissociation of a natural protein nanocage, E. coli bacterioferritin (Bfr), using synchrotron radiation small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and circular dichroism (CD). We demonstrate that hydrostatic pressures of 450 MPa are sufficient to completely dissociate the Bfr 24-mer into protein dimers, and the reversibility and kinetics of the reassembly process can be controlled by selecting appropriate buffer conditions. We also demonstrate that the heme B prosthetic group present at the subunit dimer interface influences the stability and pressure lability of the cage, despite its location being discrete from the interdimer interface that is key to cage assembly. This indicates a major cage-stabilizing role for heme within this family of ferritins.

Journal Keywords: Dissociation; Nanoparticles; Oligomers; X-ray scattering; Phosphates

Subject Areas: Chemistry, Biology and Bio-materials


Instruments: B21-High Throughput SAXS , B23-Circular Dichroism , I22-Small angle scattering & Diffraction

Added On: 07/12/2020 09:18

Discipline Tags:

Biotech & Biological Systems Physics Physical Chemistry Chemistry Nanoscience/Nanotechnology Life Sciences & Biotech

Technical Tags:

Scattering Spectroscopy Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) Circular Dichroism (CD)