Nanomechanics of Streptavidin Hubs for Molecular Materials

A new strategy is reported for creating protein‐based nanomaterials by genetically fusing large polypeptides to monomeric streptavidin and exploiting the propensity of streptavidin monomers(SM) to self‐assemble into stable tetramers. We have characterized the mechanical properties of streptavidin‐linked structures and measured, for the first time, the mechanical strength of streptavidin tetramers themselves. Using streptavidin tetramers as molecular hubs offers a unique opportunity to create a variety of well‐defined, self‐assembled protein‐based (nano)materials with unusual mechanical properties.