American Chemical Society, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 45(134), p. 18506-18509, 2012
DOI: 10.1021/ja308132z
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A structural fusion protein of the thermally-responsive elastin-like polypeptide and a viral capsid protein (ELP-CP) was designed and the assembly properties were investigated. Interestingly, this protein-based block copolymer could be self-assembled via two mechanisms into two different, well-defined nanocapsules: (1) pH-induced assembly yielded 28 nm virus-like particles and (2) ELP-induced assembly yielded 18 nm virus-like particles. The latter were a result of the emergent properties of the fusion protein. This work shows the feasibility to create a self-assembly system with new properties by combining two structural protein elements.