Liquid proteins--a new frontier for biomolecule-based nanoscience.

Abstract

Solid, liquid, or gas? The physical states adopted by nano-objects such as proteins are critically dependent on the size and range of the intermolecular attractive forces, and as a consequence, pure liquids comprising solventless melts of structurally intact, discrete functional nanoconstructs are conspicuously absent. Here we describe how globular proteins can be surface-engineered such that anhydrous powders of these nanoscale objects melt at close to room temperature to produce solvent-free liquids comprising exceedingly high concentrations of structurally and functionally intact biomolecules. These liquids offer unprecedented opportunities in bionanomaterials research, represent a new phase for protein chemistry, and challenge the existing paradigm on the role of water molecules in protein folding and function.