Molecular tandem repeat strategy for elucidating mechanical properties of high-strength proteins
Abstract
Squid have teeth-like structural [squid ring teeth (SRT)] proteins inside their suckers, which have segmented semicrystalline morphology with repetitive amorphous and crystalline domains. These proteins have high elastic modulus and toughness. However, a clear relationship between molecular structure and mechanical properties of this material remains elusive. To investigate the genetic basis of material properties in SRT sequences, we developed a new approach for the design and production of structural proteins. We show that the toughness and flexibility of these synthetic SRT mimics increase as a function of molecular weight, whereas the elastic modulus and yield strength remain unchanged. These results suggest that artificial proteins produced by our approach can help to illuminate the genetic basis of protein material behavior in SRT.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- May 24, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1521645113
Entities
People
- Abdon Pena-Francesch
- Alham Saadat
- Aswathy Sebastian
- Benjamin D. Allen
- Dong Hwan Kim
- Huihun Jung
- Istvan Albert
- Melik Demirel
- Reginald F. Hamilton
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- Office of Naval Research
- Pennsylvania State University