古紫质等光驱质子泵以及该类活性蛋白质与聚合物的功能复合材料

将具有生物活性的蛋白质与具有良好加工和力学性能的合成高分子相结合制备高性能的杂化材料是材料科学一个新的生长点.本专论聚焦于对具有光驱质子泵功能的两类活性蛋白质——细菌视紫红质(BR)与古紫质4(AR4)的研究,其中BR作为一个著名的膜蛋白已有四十余年的研究历史,而AR4则为中国科研人员十余年前所发现.综述了AR4的研究,并对AR4和BR进行了对比,进一步介绍了光敏蛋白质(BR和AR4)与聚合物基质复合制备新型功能高分子材料的工作,还介绍了该类光敏蛋白质的基因工程改造以及蛋白质/聚合物复合膜用于信息材料方面的探索工作.论文总结了一系列创新成果,如(1)在光敏蛋白质的质子泵机理方面,提出了"弱偶联模型"并解释了AR4具有与BR相反的质子释放和提取时间顺序的内在机理;(2)光敏蛋白质与聚合物复合膜相关的高分子水凝胶和蛋白质聚集状态的研究,并发现与均聚物和两亲性小分子不同,两亲性嵌段共聚物可导致光敏蛋白质中间体的寿命有数量级的延长;(3)发展了光敏蛋白质与聚合物复合膜的制备技术,所得到的材料不仅保持了光学活性,其蛋白质的光学响应性能还得到进一步改善;(4)发现了含光敏蛋白质的紫膜强烈抗拒哺乳动物细胞黏附的新功能;(5)尝试将该蛋白质和聚合物的复合膜作为信息材料,实现了全光宽带图像显示.进一步展望了此类光敏蛋白质的后续研究和潜在的应用前景.

LIGHT-DRIVEN PROTON PUMPS OF ARCHAERHODOPSIN AND BACTERIORHODOPSIN AND POLYMER-MATRIX COMPOSITE MATERIALS OF THOSE FUNCTIONAL PROTEINS

Combination of biomacromolecules with biological activity and conventional synthetic polymers with good mechanical and processing properties to prepare hybrid materials is a new branch in Material Science.This paper summarizes the investigations of two light-driven proton pumps,bacteriorhodopsin(BR) and archaerhodopsin 4(AR4),with emphasis of the work by the authors’ group and their cooperators in the latest decade.While BR was found forty years ago,AR4 is relatively new and was found by Chinese researchers one decade ago.In this first review about AR4,the authors made comparison between AR4 and BR,introduced their work of preparation of composite films composed of these retinal proteins and polymers.The review summarizes a series of the achievements by the authors and their cooperators,for instance:(1) revealing the mechanism of the light-driven proton pump in AR4 and putting forward a "weak-coupling model";(2) finding that gellable amphiphilic polymers could enhance the relaxation time of AR4 and BR very significantly;(3) developing techniques of encapsulating BR and AR4 into polymeric hydrogels;(4) finding that a purple membrane containing retinal proteins can resist adhesion of mammalian cells;(5) a successful information recording based upon protein-polymer composite films.Finally,the future research and potential applications of the retinal proteins and corresponding functional materials are prospected.