Chemists create quantum dots at room temperature using lab-designed protein

Nature uses 20 of the same building blocks to make 20 different types of Molecules.

What happens to the sequence that isn't selected by nature? What can be done to make novel (de novo) proteins that don't look like anything else in nature?

Michael Hecht is a professor of chemistry. They were able to design their own sequence recently.

They found the first known de novo molecule that drives the synthesis of quantum dots. Electronic applications of quantum dots include solar panels.

The work opens the door to making nanomaterials in a more sustainable way by showing that functional materials can be synthesised using non- nature-derived genes.

The process of making quantum dots is not economical or eco-friendly. Hecht and his research group used water as a solvent to make a stable end product.

Hecht, the William S. Tod Professor of Chemistry and chair of the department, is interested in making life molecule that did not arise in life. We are asking if there are alternatives to life. Common ancestry gave rise to all life on the planet. Can we make molecules that do not come from common ancestry? We're doing things that don't exist in life.

The team's process can change the size of the particles that make up quantum dots. It's possible to tag a molecule within a biological system.

The co-author of the paper said that quantum dots have interesting optical properties due to their large size. They're useful for being made into solar panels or photo sensor because of their ability to absorb light and convert it to chemical energy.

On the other hand, they're very good at emitting light at a certain wavelength, which makes them a good choice for makingLED screens.

Because they're small, they're able to penetrate some biological barriers, making their utility in medicines and biological images particularly promising.

What is the reason for using de novo genes?

The lead author of the research is a former PhD student in the Scholes Lab. Engineering is one of the key words for me. I want to be able to engineerProteins to do something specific and this is a type ofProtein you can do that with.

The quantum dots we're making are not great quality yet, but that can be improved by tuning the synthesis. Engineers can influence quantum dot formation in different ways with the help of theProtein.

Based on work done by a senior chemist in Hecht's lab, the team used a de novoprotein it designed to make the reaction. In 2016 researchers isolated ConK from a library. It's still made of natural acids, but it doesn't have the same sequence as a natural one.

It was found that ConK enabled the survival of E coli in toxic concentrations of copper. The quantum dots used in this research are made from a toxic metal. Researchers were wondering if ConK could be used to make quantum dots.

They had a hunch that it would work. One of the 20 amino acids, cysteine, is broken down by ConK. The sulfur source will react with the metal cadmium. The result is a quantum dot.

To make a quantum dot, you need the sulfur source and the cadmium source. The sulfur source is slowly made by theProtein. The sulfur is generated by theProtein and it reacts to make different sizes of quantum dots.

There is a study in the journal.

In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, there is an article about the synthesis of quantum dots. www.pnas.org/publish/pnas.2204050119

Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

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