How protein materials balance strength, robustness, and adaptability.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Materials Science
• Structural Biology

Background:

• Proteins are fundamental to biological materials like hair, skin, bone, and cells, providing essential functions.
• Biological materials exhibit a remarkable ability to balance conflicting properties such as strength, robustness, and adaptability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how protein materials achieve a balance of strength, robustness, and adaptability.
• To review bottom-up materiomics studies on the mechanical behavior of protein materials across multiple scales.
• To use alpha-helix based intermediate filament proteins as a model system to understand hierarchical structures.

Main Methods:

• Review of bottom-up materiomics studies.
• Analysis of mechanical behavior of protein materials from nano to macro scales.
• Examination of experimental studies on angiogenesis as a model for structural adaptability.

Main Results:

• Hierarchical structural features are vital for protein materials to combine strength, robustness, and adaptability.
• Changes in gene expression leading to altered material structure enable adaptability, as seen in angiogenesis.
• Analysis of universality and diversity in protein material structure.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the multiscale science of protein materials is key to de novo design.
• Fundamental evolutionary principles likely govern the nanoscale structure of protein materials.
• Protein materials offer insights into designing advanced synthetic materials with tunable properties.