A Streptavidin−Protein Cage Janus Particle for Polarized Targeting and Modular Functionalization

Abstract

The incorporation of Janus particles into the repertoire of nanoscale building blocks adds a new level of control to supramolecular assembly. Here we demonstrate the potential for using toposelective modification to assemble new types of targeting nanoplatforms by docking the universal coupling protein, streptavidin (StAv), onto a restricted region of the surface of a small protein cage. The resulting StAv-functionalized Janus particles have the potential to be used to control the orientation of the nanoplatforms targeted to a cell surface. In addition, the StAv-biotin couple provides an ideal molecular adaptor for extending asymmetric (polarized) supramolecular assembly. To demonstrate this potential application, StAv-functionalized nanoplatforms were coupled to a biotinylated monoclonal antibody and used to target a microbial pathogen.

Targeted Delivery of a Photosensitizer to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Biofilm

“…Although the nucleation and stepwise growth required to synthesize the polymer are fairly sophisticated, the process can be streamlined to produce large quantities of the biotinylated product. Recently, we synthesized an asymmetrically biotinylated LiDps dodecamer that enables one-step targeting via an antibody while preserving the modular design (42). Another advantage of our targeting approach is the possibility of increasing the loading with a sequence of applications.…”

Bioinspired nanoscale materials for biomedical and energy applications

“…The most recent development in designing drug delivery systems has been focused on protein-based nanomedicine platforms, which are formed from naturally self-assembled protein subunits of the same protein or a combination of proteins making up a complete system, owing to their biocompatibility and biodegradability coupled with low toxicity [41]. The space within a protein cage can be used for storing drugs, which can then be selectively delivered to affected cells.…”

Protein Cages as Multimode Imaging Agents

“…The cage is dual labeled with biotin and a fluorescent tag similar to CCMV, but possesses two spatially distinct faces, one labeled only with biotin and the other with a fluorescent tag. These Janus-like LiDps cages can be used as a "plug and play" nanoplatform for antibody directed cell targeting with the potential for control over the orientation of the targeted nanoplatform [65].…”