Metallization of Targeted Protein Assemblies in Cell-Derived Extracellular Matrix by Antibody-Guided Biotemplating

Biological systems are composed of hierarchical structures made of a large number of proteins. These structures are highly sophisticated and challenging to replicate using artificial synthesis methods. To exploit these structures in materials science, biotemplating is used to achieve biocomposites that accurately mimic biological structures and impart functionality of inorganic materials, including electrical conductivity. However, the biological scaffolds used in previous studies are limited to stereotypical and simple morphologies with little synthetic diversity because of a lack of control over their morphologies. This study proposes that the specific protein assemblies within the cell-derived extracellular matrix (ECM), whose morphological features are widely tailorable, can be employed as versatile biotemplates. In a typical procedure, a fibrillar assembly of fibronectin-a constituent protein of the ECM-is metalized through an antibody-guided biotemplating approach. Specifically, the antibody-bearing nanogold is attached to the fibronectin through antibody-antigen interactions, and then metals are grown on the nanogold acting as a seed. The biomimetic structure can be adapted for hydrogen production and sensing after improving its electrical conductivity through thermal sintering or additional metal growth. This study demonstrates that cell-derived ECM can be an attractive option for addressing the diversity limitation of a conventional biotemplate.