Self-assembling lipolytic hydrogels

Abstract

Background: Enzymatically active biomaterials, which are used in a variety of applications, such as tissue engineering and biosensors, have been the subject of research. Protein engineers created self-assembling enzymes as a result of improvements in the manufacturing and design of peptide-based biomaterials. In this regard, enzymes with cross-linking domains make it possible to create biomaterials that have a number of benefits, such as simple low-cost production, homogenous dispersion of activity in the hydrogel, and the ability to co-localize enzymes, which can all work together to increase the protein’s stability. Method: To test this theory, we combined lipases with leucine zipper domains to produce enzyme building blocks that self-assembled into lipolytic hydrogels. In this work, a chimeric protein with self-assembling capabilities was produced by introducing leucine zippers through a pET plasmid into the hydrogel-forming triblock polypeptide and the gene of interest. The chimaera was shown to have improved solubility and stability as well as the ability to form soluble aggregates. Additionally, the hydrogel’s catalytic capabilities for several substrates were investigated. Results: It could be concluded that the triblock peptide increased the solubility of protein by reducing the inclusion body formation. Thereby, increasing the purified protein concentration. In order to create bifunctional lipolytic hydrogels, the study combines the self-assembly function of leucine zippers with the catalytic activity of lipase. The self-assembling enzymatic gels offer an attractive method for in vivo enzyme entrapment with wide applications.