• 文献标题:   Graphene-Based Nucleants for Protein Crystallization
  • 文献类型:   Article
  • 作  者:   GOVADA L, RUBIO N, SARIDAKIS E, BALASKANDAN K, LEESE HS, LI YM, WANG BJ, SHAFFER MSP, CHAYEN N
  • 作者关键词:   graphene, pegylation, polymer, protein crystallization, protein nucleant
  • 出版物名称:   ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
  • ISSN:   1616-301X EI 1616-3028
  • 通讯作者地址:  
  • 被引频次:   1
  • DOI:   10.1002/adfm.202202596 EA JUN 2022
  • 出版年:   2022

▎ 摘  要

Protein crystallization remains a major bottleneck for the determination of high resolution structures. Nucleants can accelerate the process but should ideally be compatible with high throughput robotic screening. Polyethylene glycol grafted (PEGylated) graphenes can be stabilized in water providing dispensable, nucleant systems. Two graphitic feedstocks are exfoliated and functionalized with PEG using a non-destructive, scalable, chemical reduction method, delivering good water dispersibility (80 and 750 mu g mL(-1) for large and small layers, respectively). The wide utility of these nucleants has been established across five proteins and three different screens, each of 96 conditions, demonstrating greater effectiveness of the dispersed PEGylated graphenes. Smaller numbers of larger, more crystalline flakes consistently act as better protein nucleants. The delivered nucleant concentration is optimized (0.1 mg mL(-1) in the condition), and the performance benchmarked against existing state of the art, molecularly imprinted polymer nucleants. Strikingly, graphene nucleants are effective even when decreasing both the nucleant and protein concentration to unusually low concentrations. The set-up to scale-up nucleant production to liter volumes can provide sufficient material for wide implementation. Together with the optimized crystallization conditions, the results are a step forward toward practical synthesis of a readily accessible "universal" nucleant.