Protein hot spots at bio-nano interfaces

Abstract

Nanotechnology has influenced the direction of research across the sciences, medicine, and engineering. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and, more recently, protein nanotubes (PNTs) and protein-inorganic nanocomposites have received considerable attention due to their unique nanostructures that can be utilized as a scaffold to house proteins or create nanowires. A shift towards protein-inorganic interactions has numerous applications from biosensors to biofuel cells and bio-based nanodevices. We examine several systems where protein hot spots, the active domains on proteins and the interactive dynamics in them, play a critical role in the interactions at the interface of these unique systems. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.