Chapter 8. Protein cages as a new tool in synthetic biology

Abstract

Synthetic biology involves the design and construction (or reconstruction) of new biological components that exhibit non-natural functionality. The use of small proteins as natural building blocks for the assembly of highly ordered complex structures is an emerging field in synthetic biology. Here, we focus on the use of protein cages, viruses and bacteriophages, which have emerged as promising tools for the development of complex molecular components and ultimately, to the design of artificial organelles and to the creation artificial life.