New progress in research on bio-nanomaterials of amyloid fiber in Chinese Academy of Sciences

Amyloid fibrils are highly ordered fibrous aggregates formed by the spontaneous assembly of proteins or peptides, which are not only related to mammalian neurodegenerative diseases , but also participate in the normal physiological functions of organisms. The current challenge in this field is how to enable these amyloid proteins to achieve their self-assembly under mild conditions without strong external stimuli. For many years, the Kosha team has been working on the formation and propagation of amyloid fibers. At the same time, the Kosha research group also carried out the application research of amyloid fiber as a biomaterial, because amyloid fiber as a kind of ordered aggregate formed by spontaneous assembly of protein has good stability and morphological diversity, showing good Biological nanomaterial properties.

As a micron-sized three-dimensional network colloidal particle, microgel has unique and important application value. In the field of biomedicine, microgels can be used as drug delivery and sustained release carriers, as microbioreactors, and in tissue repair. However, at present, the preparation of microgels is mainly focused on high-polymers formed by chemical organic molecules, and it is difficult to overcome problems such as biocompatibility and biodegradability when applied to the biomedical field. In general, the use of macromolecules naturally occurring in living organisms to prepare gels can better mimic biological conditions or cause strong immune rejection.

In the previous study, the Kesha group has utilized the yeast amyloid-like protein Ure2 as a nano-framework molecule to achieve efficient immobilization of active enzyme molecules on the surface of starch fibers. Based on this research, Kesha Group combined with microfluidic technology to prepare Ure2 protein with active enzyme molecules into uniform micron droplets, and spontaneously assembles into amyloid fibers in the droplets to prepare structures and properties. Microgel with corresponding biological enzyme activity. Compared with traditional microgels prepared from chemical organic molecules, protein microgels have better prospects for biomedical applications.