SP1 Protein-Based Nanostructures and Arrays

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 8; no. 2; pp. 473 - 477
• Main Authors: Medalsy, Izhar, Dgany, Or, Sowwan, Mukhles, Cohen, Hezy, Yukashevska, Alevtyna, Wolf, Sharon G, Wolf, Amnon, Koster, Abraham, Almog, Orna, Marton, Ira, Pouny, Yehonathan, Altman, Arie, Shoseyov, Oded, Porath, Danny
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01-02-2008
• Subjects: Adsorption; Applied sciences; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Crystallization - methods; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Immunoglobulins - chemistry; Immunoglobulins - ultrastructure; Low-dimensional structures (superlattices, quantum well structures, multilayers): structure, and nonelectronic properties; Macromolecular Substances - chemistry; Materials science; Materials Testing; Methods of nanofabrication; Molecular Conformation; Molecular electronics, nanoelectronics; Nanocrystalline materials; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanostructures - chemistry; Nanostructures - ultrastructure; Nanotechnology - methods; Particle Size; Physics; Protein Array Analysis - methods; Protein Binding; Self-assembly; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Surface Properties; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Atomic force microscopy; Gold; Macromolecules; Nanostructures; Monomers; Nanoelectronics; Nanoparticles; Proteins; Transmission electron microscopy; Electrostatic force microscopy; Nanowires; Arrays; Nanostructured materials; Nanotechnology; Nanomaterial synthesis
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/nl072455t

Controlled formation of complex nanostructures is one of the main goals of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Stable Protein 1 (SP1) is a boiling-stable ring protein complex, 11 nm in diameter, which self-assembles from 12 identical monomers. SP1 can be utilized to form large ordered arrays; it can be easily modified by genetic engineering to produce various mutants; it is also capable of binding gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and thus forming protein−GNP chains made of alternating SP1s and GNPs. We report the formation and the protocols leading to the formation of those nanostructures and their characterization by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and electrostatic force microscopy. Further control over the GNP interdistances within the protein−GNP chains may lead to the formation of nanowires and structures that may be useful for nanoelectronics.