"Bacteria like" super glue can bind protein molecules

A biomimetic super glue has been developed by Oxford University in the UK, which has unparalleled super adhesion and can stick protein molecules together, the US physicist organization network reported recently This glue can be used to "catch" proteins, or to stick proteins to the surface of objects, or even to assemble proteins and enzymes, and to bond various nanostructures Whether in the field of biotechnology or nanotechnology, it is a useful tool The papers were published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences "We want to be able to bond proteins together like building blocks However, due to the weak force between biological reactions, our previous ability to control this process is still very poor " Dr Mark Howers, of the school of Biochemistry at Oxford University, said the development of the super molecular glue was inspired by a carnivorous bacterium Many people have Streptococcus pyogenes in their throats Some of them are mild and can cause pustulosis or sore throats, but others can be fatal and can lead to toxic shock syndrome or carnivorosis There is a special protein fbab in phagocytes, which is a powerful tool for them to stick and invade human cells "This protein is very special It can spontaneously react with itself to form a lock." Mark explained that all proteins are composed of amino acids, which form long chains with strong covalent bonds, fold and link to form various three-dimensional structures, and the force of these three-dimensional structures is relatively weak; however, the three-dimensional structure of fbab protein in Streptococcus pyogenes is also formed by covalent bonds, which can connect the amino acid chains into very strong rings in an instant The researchers first split the proteins along the supercovalent bond, nicknamed the larger half spy catcher and the smaller the spy tag And then let them touch each other again, and the result is a strong covalent bond These two parts, including anything attached to them, are also firmly nailed together The researchers also used an atomic force microscope to test how powerful it was to get the spy tag out of the hands of the spy catcher When they pull out the ends, until the tool that pulls them first breaks, the two parts are still firmly stuck together; even when they are boiled in detergent, they are not separated "Our system can rapidly form covalent bonds with high stability When "spy catcher" and "spy tag" meet, they can quickly combine No matter in acid or neutral environment, the temperature is 4 ℃ or 37 ℃, they can stick together no matter in test tube or in cell But they don't glue anything else, they don't glue fingers and models together " Mark said that there is no other similar way to bond biological molecules Although some chemical reactions can form covalent bonds between proteins, they only have a small part and take a long time, or they need ultraviolet rays, toxic catalysts and other reaction conditions, which will damage or cell The application prospect of this technology is broad Mark said that you can stick "spy catcher" and "spy tag" to other molecules you want to stick together, such as gluing all the enzymes needed in a chemical process together to make a "small factory", which can improve the reaction speed and increase the yield; or gluing all the biochemical substances of plants converting solar energy together to develop a new way of artificial photosynthesis However, its most direct application is to bond the protein structure of biological cells in the laboratory (Chang Lijun)