English
Controllable protein nanostructures refer to the process of manipulating and controlling protein assembly at the nanoscale to achieve domain confinement and precise spatial arrangement. In nature, many proteins undergo precise self-assembly with other structural domains to participate in collaborative physiological activities. Protein nanomaterials prepared by protein nanomaterialization have attracted widespread attention due to their excellent biocompatibility, low toxicity, modifiability, and multifunctionality. This review focuses on the fundamental strategies for controllable protein nanostructures, including computational design, self-assembly induction, template introduction, complexation induction, chemical modification, and in vivo assembly. The precise control of the nanoscale process enables the creation of protein nanostructures of different sizes, including 0D spherical oligomers, 1D nanowires, nanorings and nanotubes, as well as 2D nanofilms and 3D protein nanocages. The unique biological properties of proteins bring hope for various applications of these protein nanomaterials, including biomedical, food industry, agriculture, biosensing, environmental protection, biocatalysis, and artificial light harvesting. Protein nanomaterialization is a powerful tool for developing biomaterials with advanced structures and functions.
