Modulating the viscoelastic properties of covalently crosslinked protein hydrogels

Rossana Boni; Lynne Regan

doi:10.3390/gels9060481

Modulating the viscoelastic properties of covalently crosslinked protein hydrogels

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Protein engineering allows for the programming of specific building blocks to form functional and novel materials with customisable physical properties suitable for tailored engineering applications. We have successfully designed and programmed engineered proteins to form covalent molecular networks with defined physical characteristics. Our hydrogel design incorporates the SpyTag (ST) peptide and SpyCatcher (SC) protein that spontaneously form covalent crosslinks upon mixing. This genetically encodable chemistry allowed us to easily incorporate two stiff and rod-like recombinant proteins in the hydrogels and modulate the resulting viscoelastic properties. We demonstrated how differences in the composition of the microscopic building blocks change the macroscopic viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels. We specifically investigated how the identity of the protein pairs, the molar ratio of ST:SC, and the concentration of the proteins influence the viscoelastic response of the hydrogels. By showing tuneable changes in protein hydrogel rheology, we increased the capabilities of synthetic biology to create novel materials, allowing engineering biology to interface with soft matter, tissue engineering, and material science.

Original language	English
Article number	481
Number of pages	11
Journal	Gels
Volume	9
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9060481
Publication status	Published - 12 Jun 2023

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

hydrogels
protein engineering
biomaterials
SpyTag SpyCatcher

Access to Document

10.3390/gels9060481Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

ReganEtal2023ModulatingTheViscoelasticPropertiesFinal published version, 1.89 MBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

Core funding for the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology
Marston, A.
UK-based charities
1/12/21 → 30/11/23
Project: Research
Core funding renewal for the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology
Tollervey, D. & Earnshaw, B.
UK-based charities
1/10/11 → 30/04/17
Project: Research

Cite this

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title = "Modulating the viscoelastic properties of covalently crosslinked protein hydrogels",

abstract = "Protein engineering allows for the programming of specific building blocks to form functional and novel materials with customisable physical properties suitable for tailored engineering applications. We have successfully designed and programmed engineered proteins to form covalent molecular networks with defined physical characteristics. Our hydrogel design incorporates the SpyTag (ST) peptide and SpyCatcher (SC) protein that spontaneously form covalent crosslinks upon mixing. This genetically encodable chemistry allowed us to easily incorporate two stiff and rod-like recombinant proteins in the hydrogels and modulate the resulting viscoelastic properties. We demonstrated how differences in the composition of the microscopic building blocks change the macroscopic viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels. We specifically investigated how the identity of the protein pairs, the molar ratio of ST:SC, and the concentration of the proteins influence the viscoelastic response of the hydrogels. By showing tuneable changes in protein hydrogel rheology, we increased the capabilities of synthetic biology to create novel materials, allowing engineering biology to interface with soft matter, tissue engineering, and material science.",

keywords = "hydrogels, protein engineering, biomaterials, SpyTag SpyCatcher",

author = "Rossana Boni and Lynne Regan",

note = "Funding Information: R.B. acknowledges the support of the Medical Research Council via the Precision Medicine DTP (grant number MR/N013166/1). Funding Information: Fermentations were carried out by John White of the School of Chemistry Fermentation Facility at the University of Edinburgh. We also acknowledge support from the School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh. This work was supported by the Edinburgh Protein Production Facility (EPPF) and the Centre Core Grants (092076 and 203149) to the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology at the University of Edinburgh. We especially thank Mark Bradley, Davide Michieletto, and Simon Weir for the important discussions on rheology. We thank Regan lab members Fokhrul Islam for the help with protein production and Sneha Ravi and Kasia Stefaniak for the helpful discussion. We thank Regan lab members Raef Shams, Ella Thornton, Mai-Britt Jensen, Zoe Gidden, Fokhrul Islam, Sneha Ravi, Kasia Stefaniak, and Haresh Bhaskar for their comments on the manuscript and figures. We thank Louise Holyoake for their support and helpful guidance during the project. Finally, we thank David C. Hay for insight into the uses of protein hydrogels for tissue engineering. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 by the authors.",

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month = jun,

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doi = "10.3390/gels9060481",

language = "English",

volume = "9",

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N1 - Funding Information: R.B. acknowledges the support of the Medical Research Council via the Precision Medicine DTP (grant number MR/N013166/1). Funding Information: Fermentations were carried out by John White of the School of Chemistry Fermentation Facility at the University of Edinburgh. We also acknowledge support from the School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh. This work was supported by the Edinburgh Protein Production Facility (EPPF) and the Centre Core Grants (092076 and 203149) to the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology at the University of Edinburgh. We especially thank Mark Bradley, Davide Michieletto, and Simon Weir for the important discussions on rheology. We thank Regan lab members Fokhrul Islam for the help with protein production and Sneha Ravi and Kasia Stefaniak for the helpful discussion. We thank Regan lab members Raef Shams, Ella Thornton, Mai-Britt Jensen, Zoe Gidden, Fokhrul Islam, Sneha Ravi, Kasia Stefaniak, and Haresh Bhaskar for their comments on the manuscript and figures. We thank Louise Holyoake for their support and helpful guidance during the project. Finally, we thank David C. Hay for insight into the uses of protein hydrogels for tissue engineering. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.

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N2 - Protein engineering allows for the programming of specific building blocks to form functional and novel materials with customisable physical properties suitable for tailored engineering applications. We have successfully designed and programmed engineered proteins to form covalent molecular networks with defined physical characteristics. Our hydrogel design incorporates the SpyTag (ST) peptide and SpyCatcher (SC) protein that spontaneously form covalent crosslinks upon mixing. This genetically encodable chemistry allowed us to easily incorporate two stiff and rod-like recombinant proteins in the hydrogels and modulate the resulting viscoelastic properties. We demonstrated how differences in the composition of the microscopic building blocks change the macroscopic viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels. We specifically investigated how the identity of the protein pairs, the molar ratio of ST:SC, and the concentration of the proteins influence the viscoelastic response of the hydrogels. By showing tuneable changes in protein hydrogel rheology, we increased the capabilities of synthetic biology to create novel materials, allowing engineering biology to interface with soft matter, tissue engineering, and material science.

AB - Protein engineering allows for the programming of specific building blocks to form functional and novel materials with customisable physical properties suitable for tailored engineering applications. We have successfully designed and programmed engineered proteins to form covalent molecular networks with defined physical characteristics. Our hydrogel design incorporates the SpyTag (ST) peptide and SpyCatcher (SC) protein that spontaneously form covalent crosslinks upon mixing. This genetically encodable chemistry allowed us to easily incorporate two stiff and rod-like recombinant proteins in the hydrogels and modulate the resulting viscoelastic properties. We demonstrated how differences in the composition of the microscopic building blocks change the macroscopic viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels. We specifically investigated how the identity of the protein pairs, the molar ratio of ST:SC, and the concentration of the proteins influence the viscoelastic response of the hydrogels. By showing tuneable changes in protein hydrogel rheology, we increased the capabilities of synthetic biology to create novel materials, allowing engineering biology to interface with soft matter, tissue engineering, and material science.

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KW - biomaterials

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U2 - 10.3390/gels9060481

DO - 10.3390/gels9060481

M3 - Article

SN - 2310-2861

VL - 9

JO - Gels

JF - Gels

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Modulating the viscoelastic properties of covalently crosslinked protein hydrogels

Abstract / Description of output

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

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Projects

Core funding for the Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology

Core funding renewal for the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology

Cite this