SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT
Researchers engineered protein-like polymers that replicate complex enzyme functions.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT
This work, which was verified using X-ray characterization techniques at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), offers a cost-effective, scalable approach that paves the way for functional materials in biomedicine, energy, and manufacturing
Schematic comparing the global folding patterns, chemical structures, and active sites of a) natural protein behavior demonstrating a rigid secondary structure of regular, local folding patterns in the chain of amino acids, stabilized by intramolecular bonding; and b) the protein-like polymers created in this study, which do not form secondary structures but instead adopt varying conformations based on the hydrophobic (water-repelling) properties of segments in the chain. Red, grey, blue and yellow correspond to very hydrophobic, hydrophobic, hydrophilic (water-loving) and very hydrophilic amino acid residues, respectively. The chemical structures of key functional residues are shown in the inset boxes. (Credit: Ting Xu/UC Berkeley/LBNL)
Protein-like functions, without the protein
Many industries already use enzymes, which are specialized protein molecules that accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed. Incorporating these catalytically active molecules into materials could unleash impactful applications biomedicine, energy generation, and chemical synthesis—including masks that eliminate airborne toxicants or environmental filters that degrade pollutants. Their practicality, however, is limited: naturally occurring enzymes tend to be fragile, costly, and unstable.
While these constraints have driven interest in synthetic polymers that mimic enzymatic activity, designing durable protein-like alternatives has been difficult. Natural enzymes rely on rigid secondary structures—local folding patterns along the amino acid chain—that determine whether a target molecule can bind at the active site and trigger a reaction. As a result, past efforts have generally assumed that precise sequence control was necessary to reproduce protein function. This has hindered industrial applications, as specifying the exact order of building blocks in a polymer chain requires costly, high-purity chemical reactions.
In this study, researchers reinterpreted proteins’ sequence-structure-function relationship to engineer polymers with bio-inspired functions and practical adjustments to their molecular chemistry. Using X-ray techniques at the ALS, the team connected how the polymers pack globally with how the local chemical microenvironments near the catalytic region shift upon target binding, a key factor governing function.
Read more on the ALS website