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Anisotropic Protein Organofibers Encoded With Extraordinary Mechanical Behavior for Cellular Mechanobiology Applications
Author(s) -
Ma Chao,
Li Bo,
Shao Baiqi,
Wu Baiheng,
Chen Dong,
Su Juanjuan,
Zhang Hongjie,
Liu Kai
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.202009569
Subject(s) - mechanobiology , self healing hydrogels , flexibility (engineering) , context (archaeology) , nanotechnology , synthetic biology , materials science , tissue engineering , mechanotransduction , biomedical engineering , bioinformatics , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , engineering , paleontology , statistics , mathematics , polymer chemistry
Hydrogels enable a variety of applications due to their dynamic networks, structural flexibility, and tailorable functionality. However, their mechanical performances are limited, specifically in the context of cellular mechanobiology. It is also difficult to fabricate robust gel networks with a long‐term durability. Thus, a new generation of soft materials showing outstanding mechanical behavior for mechanobiology applications is highly desirable. We combined synthetic biology and supramolecular assembly to prepare elastin‐like protein (ELP) organogel fibers with extraordinary mechanical properties. The mechanical performance and stability of the assembled anisotropic proteins are superior to other organo‐/hydrogel systems. Bone‐derived mesenchymal cells were introduced into the organofiber system for stem‐cell lineage differentiation. This approach demonstrates the feasibility of mechanically strong and anisotropic organonetworks for mechanobiology applications and holds great potential for tissue‐regeneration translations.