Investigation of Hydrogel Architecture Constructed from the Strongest Protein Fold

Proteins are bionanomachines and provide a diverse range of biological functions. By using folded proteins as building blocks, we can create functional biomaterials with specific mechanical and structural properties. An exciting new building block is the staphylococcal adhesin B domain (SdrG B1) which holds the position of being the strongest ever protein to date. The mechanical properties of this protein are sensitive to calcium in the environment, making it an attractive mechanically robust and responsive building block. In this project we will obtain important structural insight into the network which is formed by connected SdrG B1 proteins. This will help us to understand the mechanically robust scaffold created by the protein network and how it changes in response to calcium. This will support our goal of creating novel responsive biomaterials for healthcare applications.