Yolk-shell nanostructured Fe3O4@NiSiO3 for selective affinity and magnetic separation of His-tagged proteins

Recent developments of nanotechnology encourage novel materials for facile separations and purifications of recombinant proteins, which are of great importance in disease diagnoses and treatments. We find that Fe3O4@NiSiO3 with yolk-shell nanostructure can be used to specifically purify histidine-tagged (His-tagged) proteins from mixtures of lysed cells with a recyclable process. Each individual nanoparticle composes by a mesoporous nickel silicate shell and a magnetic Fe3O4 core in the hollow inner, which is featured by its great loading efficiency and rapid response toward magnetic fields. The abundant Ni(2+) cations on the shell provide docking sites for selective coordination of histidine and the reversible release is induced by excess imidazole solution. Because of the Fe3O4 cores, the separation, concentration, and recycling of the nanocomposites become feasible under the controls of magnets. These characteristics would be highly beneficial in nanoparticle-based biomedical applications for targeted-drug delivery and biosensors.