Electrogenic protein condensates as intracellular electrochemical reactors

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials science
• Electrochemistry
• Synthetic biology

Background:

• Charged surfaces in aqueous solutions create electric double layers, influencing electron transfer and redox reactions.
• Engineering soft biomaterials for controlled interfacial electrochemistry and electron generation remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer genetically encoded biomaterials into self-assembling protein condensates capable of functioning as electrochemical reactors.
• To establish the relationship between protein sequence and electrochemical properties for programming electrogenic behavior.
• To demonstrate the utility of these protein condensates in various electrochemical applications both in vitro and within biological cells.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing genetically encoded protein self-assembly into functional condensates.
• Establishing sequence-electrochemical property relationships for programmable electrogenic behavior.
• Demonstrating in vitro electrochemical reactions and in vivo applications within cells.

Main Results:

• Protein condensates were successfully engineered as electrogenic materials.
• Fundamental principles governing the sequence-electrochemical property relationship were established.
• Applications demonstrated include intracellular nanoparticle synthesis, pollutant degradation, and artificial ferroptosis for bacterial inhibition.

Conclusions:

• Genetically encoded protein condensates represent a novel biomaterial platform for electrochemical applications.
• These intrinsic electrogenic materials offer a sustainable energy source for next-generation bioelectrochemical devices.
• The ability to program electrogenic behavior opens new avenues in synthetic biology and materials science.