Characterization of sol-gel-encapsulated proteins using small-angle neutron scattering

Guangming Luo, Qiu Zhang, Alexis Rae Del Castillo, Volker Urban, Hugh ONeill

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Entrapment of biomolecules in silica-derived sol-gels has grown into a vibrant area of research since it was originally demonstrated. However, accessing the consequences of entrapment on biomolecules and the gel structure remains a major challenge in characterizing these biohybrid materials. We present the first demonstration that it is possible with small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to study the conformation of dilute proteins that are entrapped in transparent and dense sol-gels. Using deuterium-labeled green fluorescent protein (GFP) and SANS with contrast variation, we demonstrate that the scattering signatures of the sol-gel and the protein can be separated. Analysis of the scattering curves of the sol-gels using a mass-fractal model shows that the size of the colloidal silica particles and the fractal dimensions of the gels were similar in the absence and presence of protein, demonstrating that GFP did not influence the reaction pathway for the formation of the gel. The major structural difference in the gels was that the pore size was increased 2-fold in the presence of the protein. At the contrast match point for silica, the scattering signal from GFP inside the gel became distinguishable over a wide q range. Simulated scattering curves representing a monomer, end-to-end dimer, and parallel dimer of the protein were calculated and compared to the experimental data. Our results show that the most likely structure of GFP is that of an end-to-end dimer. This approach can be readily applied and holds great potential for the structural characterization of complex biohybrid and other materials.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2262-2268
Number of pages7
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume1
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 28 2009

Keywords

  • enzyme
  • protein conformation
  • protein entrapment
  • small-angle neutron scattering
  • sol-gel

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