Protein Nanocapsules Produced by Nanoprecipitation of Designed Suckerin-Silk Fusion Proteins

Abstract : Herein, we report on the precise design of a modular fusion protein amenable to the construction of nanocapsules by nanoprecipitation. The central squid suckerin-derived peptide block provides structural stability, whereas both termini from silk fibroins make the modular protein highly soluble at physiological pH, a critical requirement for the nanoprecipitation process. With this molecular design, nanocapsules consisting of suckerin-silk fusion protein shells and hexadecane or miglyol cores with sizes in the range 190-250 nm are straightforwardly built.