My Thesis involves the broad idea of using proteins to make nanoparticles of custom shape and size. Nature already uses proteins to make structures of great variety (eg. diatoms, shells, mother of pearls) through a process called biomineralisation. I am successfully able to make very stable gold nanoparticles using one such protein called Maltose Binding Protein. I am currently using crystallography and cryo -Electron Microscopy to understand how my protein does so. Images shown in above PDF.
2. MBP-Au structures
• MBP crystals were
soaked into HAuCl4.
• MBP crystals without
gold was used to phase
the data
• Strong density for Au was
seen near methionine
residues
3. Cartoon of gold location
Model from
diffraction pattern
Position of gold atom
4. Cryo-EM on GroEL-Pt system
Picking up particles from TEM image and creating classes
• GroEL particles besides Pt-NP
frozen in cryo state.
• Software picks up individual
GroEL particles, sorts based
on orientations into classes.
• Three of the many classes
showcasing GroEL-Pt from
one angle.
• Put together to build 3D
structure
5. Cryo-EM on GroEL-Pt system
Fitting the 3D structure made to known structure of GroEL
Top Side
Pt-NP
