Artificial Protein

Centre for Programmable Biological Matter

Heddle Lab

Nature has come up with many different protein folds that have a variety of structural and catalytic functions, but with the advent of AI-based protein design tools, we can create new proteins, previously unseen in nature, with bespoke characteristics and shapes. In our lab, we seek to use both proteins from nature as well as custom, de novo proteins to produce nanoscale devices, protein cages, and other nanostructures for use in a variety of functions.  The rapidly emerging field of de novo protein design provides countless opportunities to explore the interface of de novo protein systems with biological processes to deconstruct and eventually control cellular functions for a desired therapy or cure.

Artificial protein publications:

Stupka I, Biela AP, Piette B, Kowalczyk A, Majsterkiewicz K, Borzęcka-Solarz K, Naskalska A, Heddle JG. An artificial protein cage made from a 12-membered ring.
In: J Mater Chem B. 2024 J
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Gaweł S., Naskalska A.,Osiński N., Heddle J.G. Running rings around protein cages: case study of artificial TRAP cages.
In: Amino Acids, Peptides and Proteins, 2024

Zakaszewski D, Koziej L, Pankowski J, Malolan VV, Gämperli N, Heddle JG, Hilvert D, Azuma Y. Complementary charge-driven encapsulation of functional protein by engineered protein cages in cellulo.
In: J Mater Chem B. 2023
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Sharma M, Biela AP, Kowalczyk A, Borzęcka-Solarz K, Piette BMAG, Gaweł S, Bishop J, Kukura P, Benesch JLP, Imamura M, Scheuring S, Heddle JG. Shape-Morphing of an Artificial Protein Cage with Unusual Geometry Induced by a Single Amino Acid Change.
In: ACS Nanosci Au. 2022
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Majsterkiewicz, A., Biela, A. P., Maity, S., Sharma, M.,2,  Piette, B. M. A. G., Kowalczyk, A., Gaweł, S., Chakraborti, S., Roos, W. H.,  Heddle, J. G. (2022) An artificial protein cage with unusual geometry and regularly embedded gold nanoparticles. 
In: Nano Letters
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Biela, A., Naskalska, A., Fatehi, F., Twarock, R.,  Heddle, J.G. (2022). Programmable Polymorphism of a Virus-Like Particle. 
In: Commun. Mater
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Piette, B. M. A. G., Kowalczyk, A., Heddle, J.G., (2022). Characterisation of Near-miss Connectivity-Invariant Homogeneous Convex Polyhedral Cages.
In: Proc. R. Soc.
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Stupka, I., Azuma, Y., Biela, A.P., Imamura, M., Scheuring, S., Pyza, E., Woźnicka, O., Maskell, D.P. and Heddle, J.G.* (2022) Chemically induced protein cage assembly with programmable opening and cargo release
In: Sci. Adv.
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Naskalska, A., Borzęcka-Solarz, K., Różycki, J., Stupka, I., Bochenek, M., Pyza, E., Heddle, J. G.* (2021). Artificial Protein Cage Delivers Active Protein Cargos to the Cell Interior. 
In: Biomacromolecules
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Kumar, M., Markiewicz-Mizera, J., Olmos, J. D. J., Wilk, P., Grudnik, P., Biela, A. P., Jemioła-Rzemińska, M., Górecki, A., Chakraborti, S., Heddle, J. G.* (2021). A single residue can modulate nanocage assembly in salt dependent ferritin
In: Nanoscale
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Ghilarov, D., Inaba-Inoue, S., Stepien, P., Qu, F., Michalczyk, E., Pakosz, Z., Nomura, N., Ogasawara, S., Walker, G. C., Rebuffat, S., Iwata, S., Heddle, J. G.*, Beis, K.* (2021). Molecular mechanism of SbmA, a promiscuous transporter exploited by antimicrobial peptides.
In: Sci. Adv.
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Stupka I, Heddle JG. Artificial protein cages – inspiration, construction, and observation.
In: Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2020
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Majsterkiewicz K, Azuma Y, Heddle JG. Connectability of protein cages.
In: Nanoscale Adv. 2020
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