Rational Design of Statistical Heteropolymers as Biomimetic Enzymes and Binders
Abstract
Chemical and biological warfare agents (CBWAs) pose a severe safety threat to mankind. Due to their extreme toxicity at ultra-low concentration, high sensitivity/selectivity detection and on-demand neutralization without transportation and minimal handling are particularly important yet challenging. Bioremediation using bacteria, protein binders and enzymes are proven effective, but are not suitable for in-field application due to poor stability. Recently, we demonstrated that by encoding statistic pattern of monomer distribution in random heteropolymers (RHPs), it is feasible to generate polymers mimicking intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). RHPs succeed in stabilizing proteins in non-native environment, assisting protein folding during translation, and fabrication of enzyme-containing fabrics for in-field organophosphorus degradation in both aqueous and organic solvents. In nature, abundant IDPs are found to catalyze reactions and bind substrate for signal transduction. Here, our Berkeley/MIT joint team proposes a synergized experiment/computation effort toward iterative design of RHPs capable of catalyzing and selectively binding toxin molecules in both aqueous and organic solvents.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2019
- Source ID
- HDTRA11910011
Entities
People
- Ting Xu
Organizations
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- University of California, Berkeley