Open AccessStructural Determination of a Filamentous Chaperone to Fabricate Electronically Conductive Metalloprotein Nanowires
Author(s) -
Yun X. Chen,
Nicole L. Ing,
Fengbin Wang,
Dawei Xu,
Nancy B. Sloan,
Nga Tien Lam,
Daniel L. Winter,
Edward H. Egelman,
Allon I. Hochbaum,
Douglas S. Clark,
Dominic J. Glover
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
acs nano
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.554
H-Index - 382
eISSN - 1936-086X
pISSN - 1936-0851
DOI - 10.1021/acsnano.9b09405
Subject(s) - nanowire , protein filament , electron transfer , nanotechnology , materials science , bioelectrochemistry , redox , electron transport chain , electrochemistry , bioelectronics , electrode , biosensor , chemistry , biochemistry , metallurgy , composite material , organic chemistry
The transfer of electrons through protein complexes is central to cellular respiration. Exploiting proteins for charge transfer in a controllable fashion has the potential to revolutionize the integration of biological systems and electronic devices. Here we characterize the structure of an ultrastable protein filament and engineer the filament subunits to create electronically conductive nanowires under aqueous conditions. Cryoelectron microscopy was used to resolve the helical structure of gamma-prefoldin, a filamentous protein from a hyperthermophilic archaeon. Conjugation of tetra-heme c3-type cytochromes along the longitudinal axis of the filament created nanowires capable of long-range electron transfer. Electrochemical transport measurements indicated networks of the nanowires capable of conducting current between electrodes at the redox potential of the cytochromes. Functionalization of these highly engineerable nanowires with other molecules, such as redox enzymes, may be useful for bioelectronic applications.