Yu Liu, Shitong Cui, Wenjun Ma, Yibo Wu, Ruobing Xin, Yunxiu Bai, Zhuo Chen, Jianhong Xu, Jun Ge
Protein@metal-organic frameworks (P@MOFs) prepared by coprecipitation of protein, metal ions, and organic ligands represent an effective method for protein stabilization with a wide spectrum of applications. However, the formation mechanism of P@MOFs via the coprecipitation process and the reason why proteins can retain their biological activity in the frameworks with highly concentrated metal ions remain unsettled. Here, by a combined methodology of single molecule localization microscopy and clustering analysis, we discovered that in this process enzyme molecules form clusters with metal ions and organic ligands, contributing to both the nucleation and subsequent crystal growth...
April 25, 2024: Journal of the American Chemical Society