Accelerating the design of biomimetic materials by integrating RNA-seq with proteomics and materials science

Paul A. Guerette, Shawn Hoon, Yiqi Seow, Manfred Raida, Admir Masic, Fong T. Wong, Vincent H.B. Ho, Kiat Whye Kong, Melik C. Demirel, Abdon Pena-Francesch, Shahrouz Amini, Gavin Z. Tay, Dawei Ding, Ali Miserez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

167 Scopus citations

Abstract

Efforts to engineer new materials inspired by biological structures are hampered by the lack of genomic data from many model organisms studied in biomimetic research. Here we show that biomimetic engineering can be accelerated by integrating high-throughput RNA-seq with proteomics and advanced materials characterization. This approach can be applied to a broad range of systems, as we illustrate by investigating diverse high-performance biological materials involved in embryo protection, adhesion and predation. In one example, we rapidly engineer recombinant squid sucker ring teeth proteins into a range of structural and functional materials, including nanopatterned surfaces and photo-cross-linked films that exceed the mechanical properties of most natural and synthetic polymers. Integrating RNA-seq with proteomics and materials science facilitates the molecular characterization of natural materials and the effective translation of their molecular designs into a wide range of bio-inspired materials.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)908-915
Number of pages8
JournalNature Biotechnology
Volume31
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2013

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Biotechnology
  • Bioengineering
  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
  • Molecular Medicine
  • Biomedical Engineering

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