Protein disorder–order interplay to guide the growth of hierarchical mineralized structures

Elsharkawy, Sherif; Al-Jawad, Maisoon; Pantano, Maria F.; Tejeda-Montes, Esther; Mehta, Khushbu; Jamal, Hasan; Agarwal, Shweta; Shuturminska, Kseniya; Rice, Alistair; Tarakina, Nadezda V.; Wilson, Rory M.; Bushby, Andy J.; Alonso, Matilde; Rodriguez-Cabello, Jose C.; Barbieri, Ettore; del R�o Hern�ndez, Armando; Stevens, Molly M.; Pugno, Nicola M.; Anderson, Paul; Mata, Alvaro

Abstract

A major goal in materials science is to develop bioinspired functional materials based on the precise control of molecular building blocks across length scales. Here we report a protein-mediated mineralization process that takes advantage of disorder–order interplay using elastin-like recombinamers to program organic–inorganic interactions into hierarchically ordered mineralized structures. The materials comprise elongated apatite nanocrystals that are aligned and organized into microscopic prisms, which grow together into spherulite-like structures hundreds of micrometers in diameter that come together to fill macroscopic areas. The structures can be grown over large uneven surfaces and native tissues as acid-resistant membranes or coatings with tuneable hierarchy, stiffness, and hardness. Our study represents a potential strategy for complex materials design that may open opportunities for hard tissue repair and provide insights into the role of molecular disorder in human physiology and pathology.

Citation

Elsharkawy, S., Al-Jawad, M., Pantano, M. F., Tejeda-Montes, E., Mehta, K., Jamal, H., …Mata, A. (2018). Protein disorder–order interplay to guide the growth of hierarchical mineralized structures. Nature Communications, 9, Article 2145. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04319-0

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 18, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jun 1, 2018
• Publication Date: 2018-12
• Deposit Date: Jun 8, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 26, 2020
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-1723
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Article Number: 2145
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04319-0
• Keywords: General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; General Physics and Astronomy; General Chemistry
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3834956
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-04319-0
• Additional Information: Received: 18 October 2017; Accepted: 18 April 2018; First Online: 1 June 2018; : The authors declare no competing interests.