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Jones AA, Snow CD. Porous protein crystals: synthesis and applications. Chem Commun (Camb) 2024; 60:5790-5803. [PMID: 38756076 DOI: 10.1039/d4cc00183d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Large-pore protein crystals (LPCs) are an emerging class of biomaterials. The inherent diversity of proteins translates to a diversity of crystal lattice structures, many of which display large pores and solvent channels. These pores can, in turn, be functionalized via directed evolution and rational redesign based on the known crystal structures. LPCs possess extremely high solvent content, as well as extremely high surface area to volume ratios. Because of these characteristics, LPCs continue to be explored in diverse applications including catalysis, targeted therapeutic delivery, templating of nanostructures, structural biology. This Feature review article will describe several of the existing platforms in detail, with particular focus on LPC synthesis approaches and reported applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alec Arthur Jones
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1301, USA.
| | - Christopher D Snow
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1301, USA.
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1301, USA
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Li Y, Gao H, Nepovimova E, Wu Q, Adam V, Kuca K. Recombinant ferritins for multimodal nanomedicine. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2023; 38:2219868. [PMID: 37263586 DOI: 10.1080/14756366.2023.2219868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In all living organisms, ferritins are a group of proteins important for maintaining iron homeostasis. Increasing amount of studies has shown that recombinant ferritins can be widely used in multimodal nanomedicine, especially for anticancer treatment and vaccination. Recombinant particles prepared by fusing viral proteins and ferritin subunits produce a better immune response and higher antibody titres. Moreover, actively-targeted ferritin nanoparticles can recognise receptors and deliver natural or chemical drugs specifically to the tumour tissue. In addition, ferritin-linked or loaded with contrast agents or fluorescent dyes can be used as multimodal particles useful cancer theranostics. In this review, we fully summarised the unitisation of recombinant ferritins in multimodal nanomedicine. The research progress of using recombinant ferritins as nanovaccines, nanozymes, and bioengineered nanocarriers for targeted therapy and bioimaging is emphasised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihao Li
- College of Life Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Haoyu Gao
- College of Life Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Eugenie Nepovimova
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Qinghua Wu
- College of Life Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtech Adam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kamil Kuca
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Research Center, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
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Wang C, Liu Q, Huang X, Zhuang J. Ferritin nanocages: a versatile platform for nanozyme design. J Mater Chem B 2023; 11:4153-4170. [PMID: 37158014 DOI: 10.1039/d3tb00192j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Nanozymes are a class of nanomaterials with enzyme-like activities and have attracted increasing attention due to their potential applications in biomedicine. However, nanozyme design incorporating the desired properties remains challenging. Natural or genetically engineered protein scaffolds, such as ferritin nanocages, have emerged as a promising platform for nanozyme design due to their unique protein structure, natural biomineralization capacity, self-assembly properties, and high biocompatibility. In this review, we highlight the intrinsic properties of ferritin nanocages, especially for nanozyme design. We also discuss the advantages of genetically engineered ferritin in the versatile design of nanozymes over natural ferritin. Additionally, we summarize the bioapplications of ferritin-based nanozymes based on their enzyme-mimicking activities. In this perspective, we mainly provide potential insights into the utilization of ferritin nanocages for nanozyme design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyu Wang
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials for the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, and Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Qiqi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials for the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, and Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Xinglu Huang
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials for the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, and Frontiers Science Center for Cell Responses, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
| | - Jie Zhuang
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
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Mohanty A, Parida A, Raut RK, Behera RK. Ferritin: A Promising Nanoreactor and Nanocarrier for Bionanotechnology. ACS BIO & MED CHEM AU 2022; 2:258-281. [PMID: 37101573 PMCID: PMC10114856 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.2c00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
The essence of bionanotechnology lies in the application of nanotechnology/nanomaterials to solve the biological problems. Quantum dots and nanoparticles hold potential biomedical applications, but their inherent problems such as low solubility and associated toxicity due to their interactions at nonspecific target sites is a major concern. The self-assembled, thermostable, ferritin protein nanocages possessing natural iron scavenging ability have emerged as a potential solution to all the above-mentioned problems by acting as nanoreactor and nanocarrier. Ferritins, the cellular iron repositories, are hollow, spherical, symmetric multimeric protein nanocages, which sequester the excess of free Fe(II) and synthesize iron biominerals (Fe2O3·H2O) inside their ∼5-8 nm central cavity. The electrostatics and dynamics of the pore residues not only drives the natural substrate Fe2+ inside ferritin nanocages but also uptakes a set of other metals ions/counterions during in vitro synthesis of nanomaterial. The current review aims to report the recent developments/understanding on ferritin structure (self-assembly, surface/pores electrostatics, metal ion binding sites) and chemistry occurring inside these supramolecular protein cages (protein mediated metal ion uptake and mineralization/nanoparticle formation) along with its surface modification to exploit them for various nanobiotechnological applications. Furthermore, a better understanding of ferritin self-assembly would be highly useful for optimizing the incorporation of nanomaterials via the disassembly/reassembly approach. Several studies have reported the successful engineering of these ferritin protein nanocages in order to utilize them as potential nanoreactor for synthesizing/incorporating nanoparticles and as nanocarrier for delivering imaging agents/drugs at cell specific target sites. Therefore, the combination of nanoscience (nanomaterials) and bioscience (ferritin protein) projects several benefits for various applications ranging from electronics to medicine.
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Dhanker R, Hussain T, Tyagi P, Singh KJ, Kamble SS. The Emerging Trend of Bio-Engineering Approaches for Microbial Nanomaterial Synthesis and Its Applications. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:638003. [PMID: 33796089 PMCID: PMC8008120 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.638003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Micro-organisms colonized the world before the multi-cellular organisms evolved. With the advent of microscopy, their existence became evident to the mankind and also the vast processes they regulate, that are in direct interest of the human beings. One such process that intrigued the researchers is the ability to grow in presence of toxic metals. The process seemed to be simple with the metal ions being sequestrated into the inclusion bodies or cell surfaces enabling the conversion into nontoxic nanostructures. However, the discovery of genome sequencing techniques highlighted the genetic makeup of these microbes as a quintessential aspect of these phenomena. The findings of metal resistance genes (MRG) in these microbes showed a rather complex regulation of these processes. Since most of these MRGs are plasmid encoded they can be transferred horizontally. With the discovery of nanoparticles and their many applications from polymer chemistry to drug delivery, the demand for innovative techniques of nanoparticle synthesis increased dramatically. It is now established that microbial synthesis of nanoparticles provides numerous advantages over the existing chemical methods. However, it is the explicit use of biotechnology, molecular biology, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering tools that revolutionized the world of microbial nanotechnology. Detailed study of the micro and even nanolevel assembly of microbial life also intrigued biologists and engineers to generate molecular motors that mimic bacterial flagellar motor. In this review, we highlight the importance and tremendous hidden potential of bio-engineering tools in exploiting the area of microbial nanoparticle synthesis. We also highlight the application oriented specific modulations that can be done in the stages involved in the synthesis of these nanoparticles. Finally, the role of these nanoparticles in the natural ecosystem is also addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raunak Dhanker
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences, School of Engineering and Sciences, GD Goenka University, Gurugram, India
| | - Touseef Hussain
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
| | - Priyanka Tyagi
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences, School of Engineering and Sciences, GD Goenka University, Gurugram, India
| | - Kawal Jeet Singh
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, India
| | - Shashank S. Kamble
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences, School of Engineering and Sciences, GD Goenka University, Gurugram, India
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Skubalova Z, Rex S, Sukupova M, Zahalka M, Skladal P, Pribyl J, Michalkova H, Weerasekera A, Adam V, Heger Z. Passive Diffusion vs Active pH-Dependent Encapsulation of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Vandetanib and Lenvatinib into Folate-Targeted Ferritin Delivery System. Int J Nanomedicine 2021; 16:1-14. [PMID: 33442247 PMCID: PMC7797358 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s275808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The present study reports on examination of the effects of encapsulating the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) vandetanib and lenvatinib into a biomacromolecular ferritin-based delivery system. Methods The encapsulation of TKIs was performed via two strategies: i) using an active reversible pH-dependent reassembly of ferritin´s quaternary structure and ii) passive loading of hydrophobic TKIs through the hydrophobic channels at the junctions of ferritin subunits. After encapsulation, ferritins were surface-functionalized with folic acid promoting active-targeting capabilities. Results The physico-chemical and nanomechanical analyses revealed that despite the comparable encapsulation efficiencies of both protocols, the active loading affects stability and rigidity of ferritins, plausibly due to their imperfect reassembly. Biological experiments with hormone-responsive breast cancer cells (T47-D and MCF-7) confirmed the cytotoxicity of encapsulated and folate-targeted TKIs to folate-receptor positive cancer cells, but only limited cytotoxic effects to healthy breast epithelium. Importantly, the long-term cytotoxic experiments revealed that compared to the pH-dependent encapsulation, the passively-loaded TKIs exert markedly higher anticancer activity, most likely due to undesired influence of harsh acidic environment used for the pH-dependent encapsulation on the TKIs’ structural and functional properties. Conclusion Since the passive loading does not require a reassembly step for which acids are needed, the presented investigation serves as a solid basis for future studies focused on encapsulation of small hydrophobic molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Skubalova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.,Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Simona Rex
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.,Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Sukupova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Zahalka
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Skladal
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Pribyl
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Michalkova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.,Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Akila Weerasekera
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Vojtech Adam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.,Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zbynek Heger
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.,Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
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Jiang B, Fang L, Wu K, Yan X, Fan K. Ferritins as natural and artificial nanozymes for theranostics. Am J Cancer Res 2020; 10:687-706. [PMID: 31903145 PMCID: PMC6929972 DOI: 10.7150/thno.39827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nanozymes are a class of nanomaterials with intrinsic enzyme-like characteristics which overcome the limitations of natural enzymes such as high cost, low stability and difficulty to large scale preparation. Nanozymes combine the advantages of chemical catalysts and natural enzymes together, and have exhibited great potential in biomedical applications. However, the size controllable synthesis and targeting modifications of nanozymes are still challenging. Here, we introduce ferritin nanozymes to solve these problems. Ferritins are natural nanozymes which exhibit intrinsic enzyme-like activities (e.g. ferroxidase, peroxidase). In addition, by biomimetically synthesizing nanozymes inside the ferritin protein shells, artificial ferritin nanozymes are introduced, which possess the advantages of versatile self-assembly ferritin nanocage and enzymatic activity of nanozymes. Ferritin nanozymes provide a new horizon for the development of nanozyme in disease targeted theranostics research. The emergence of ferritin nanozyme also inspires us to learn from the natural nanostructures to optimize or rationally design nanozymes. In this review, the intrinsic enzyme-like activities of ferritin and bioengineered synthesis of ferritin nanozyme were summarized. After that, the applications of ferritin nanozymes were covered. Finally, the advantages, challenges and future research directions of advanced ferritin nanozymes for biomedical research were discussed.
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