Developing new techniques to build biomaterials

Date:
July 7, 2021
Source:
University of Leeds
Summary:
Scientists have developed an approach that could help in the
design of a new generation of synthetic biomaterials made from
proteins. The biomaterials could eventually have applications in
joint repair or wound healing as well as other fields of healthcare
and food production.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Scientists at the University of Leeds have developed an approach that
could help in the design of a new generation of synthetic biomaterials
made from proteins.


==========================================================================
The biomaterials could eventually have applications in joint repair or
wound healing as well as other fields of healthcare and food production.

But one of the fundamental challenges is to control and fine tune the
way protein building blocks assemble into complex protein networks that
form the basis of biomaterials.

Scientists at Leeds are investigating how changes to the structure
and mechanics of individual protein building blocks -- changes at the
nanoscale - - can alter the structure and mechanics of the biomaterial
at a macro level while preserving the biological function of the protein network.

In a paper published by the scientific journal ACS Nano, the researchers
report that they were able to alter the structure of a protein network by removing a specific chemical bond in the protein building blocks. They
called these bonds the "protein staples." With the protein staples
removed, the individual protein molecules unfolded more easily when
they connect together and assemble into a network. This resulted in a
network with regions of folded protein connected by regions containing
the unfolded protein resulting in very different mechanical properties
for the biomaterial.



========================================================================== Professor Lorna Dougan, from the School of Physics and Astronomy at
Leeds, who supervised the research, said: "Proteins display amazing
functional properties.

We want to understand how we can exploit this diverse biological
functionality in materials which use proteins as building blocks.

"But to do that we need to understand how changes at a nano scale, at
the level of individual molecules, alters the structure and behaviour of
the protein at a macro level." Dr Matt Hughes, also from the School of
Physics and Astronomy and lead author of the paper, said: "Controlling
the protein building block's ability to unfold by removing the "protein staples" resulted in significantly different network architectures
with markedly different mechanical behaviour and this demonstrates
that unfolding of the protein building block plays a defining role in
the architecture of protein networks and the subsequent mechanics."
The researchers used facilities at the Astbury Centre for Structural
Molecular Biology and School of Physics and Astronomy at Leeds and
the ISIS Neutron Muon Source facility at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.

Using beams of neutrons, it allowed them to identify critical changes
to the protein network's structure when the nano-staples where removed.

In conjunction with the experimental work, Dr Ben Hanson, a Research
Associate in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Leeds, modelled the structural changes taking place. He found that it was specifically the
act of protein unfolding during network formation, that was crucial in
defining the network architecture of the protein hydrogels.

Professor Dougan added: "The ability to change the nanoscale properties
of protein building blocks, from a rigid, folded state to a flexible,
unfolded state, provides a powerful route to creating functional
biomaterials with controllable architecture and mechanics." The research
was conducted with assistance from Professor David Brockwell and Sophie Cussons, Research Technician, at the Astbury Centre for Structural
Molecular Biology at Leeds.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Leeds. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Matt D. G. Hughes, Benjamin S. Hanson, Sophie Cussons, Najet
Mahmoudi,
David J. Brockwell, Lorna Dougan. Control of Nanoscale In Situ
Protein Unfolding Defines Network Architecture and Mechanics of
Protein Hydrogels. ACS Nano, 2021; DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c00353 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210706132819.htm

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