TY - JOUR T1 - Supercharging enables organized assembly of synthetic biomolecules JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/323261 SP - 323261 AU - Anna J. Simon AU - Vyas Ramasubramani AU - Jens Glaser AU - Arti Pothukuchy AU - Jillian Gerberich AU - Janelle Leggere AU - Barrett R. Morrow AU - Jimmy Golihar AU - Cheulhee Jung AU - Sharon C. Glotzer AU - David W. Taylor AU - Andrew D. Ellington Y1 - 2018/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/05/16/323261.abstract N2 - There are few methods for the assembly of defined protein oligomers and higher order structures that could serve as novel biomaterials. Using fluorescent proteins as a model system, we have engineered novel oligomerization states by combining oppositely supercharged variants. A well-defined, highly symmetrical 16-mer (two stacked, circular octamers) can be formed from alternating charged proteins; higher order structures then form in a hierarchical fashion from this discrete protomer. During SUpercharged PRotein Assembly (SuPrA), electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged variants drives interaction, while shape and patchy physicochemical interactions lead to spatial organization along specific interfaces, ultimately resulting in protein assemblies never before seen in nature. ER -