Protein nanotubes: Small 18/2009

The cover picture shows a surface representation of a self-assembled nanotube made from a modified form of the ring-shaped bacterial protein, TRAP. The crystal structure of TRAP is shown as a backbone trace with each ring a different color to its neighbors. The tube-forming TRAP rings contain a small number of point mutations, which drive the self-assembly process. The resulting tubes are ≈8 nm in diameter and up to 1 µm or more in length, with a central cavity ≈2 nm in diameter. Since it is trivial to add further mutations to the protein surface, it is hoped that this tube may become a useful nanocomponent with a wide range of applications. For more information, please read the Full Paper “A Self-Assembled Protein Nanotube with High Aspect Ratio” by J. R. H. Tame, J. G. Heddle, et al., beginning on page 2077.