Selected Publications
- Huber, M. C., Schreiber, A., von Olshausen, P., Varga, B. R., Kretz, O., Joch, B., Barnert, S., Schubert, R., Eimer, S., Kele, P., *Schiller, S. M. “Designer amphiphilic proteins as building blocks for the intracellular formation of organelle-like compartments” Nature Materials 2015, 14(1), 125-132
- Schreiber, A., Huber, M. C., Cölfen, H., *Schiller, S. M. “Protein Adaptor with Genetically Encoded Interaction-Sites Guiding the Hierarchical Assembly of Plasmonically Active Nanoarchitectures” , DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7705 Nature Communications, 2015, 6, article number 6705
- Longo, J.╪, Yao, C.,╪ Rios, C., Boulmedais, F., Hemmerlé, J., Lavalle, P., *Schiller, S. M., *Schaaf, P., Jierry, L. “Reversible biomechano-responsive surface based on Green Fluorescent Protein genetically modified with unnatural amino acids” Chemical Communications 2015, 51, 232-235
- Huber, M., Schreiber, A., Benz, K., *Schiller, S. M. “Introducing a combinatorial DNA-toolbox platform constituting defined protein-based biohybrid materials” Biomaterials 2014, 35, 31,8767-79
- Schreiber, A., Yuan, Y., Huber, M. C., Thomann, R., Ziegler, A., Cölfen, H., Dengjel, J., Krüger, M., *Schiller, S. M. “From Bioconjugation to Selfassembly in Nanobiotechnology: Quantum Dots Trapped and Stabilised by Toroid Protein Yoctowells” Advanced Engineering Materials 2012, 14, 6, B344-B350
FRIAS Project
Bio-based nano-mechano responsive films: A new step towards soft-mechano-chemistry (2015-2017)
The development of chemo-mechano-responsive systems, systems that respond chemically to a mechanical stimulus, is an emerging field in chemistry. Most of the systems developed so far are based on affecting internal chemical bonds when molecules are put under a mechanical stress. Nature transforms a mechanical force into a chemical signal by using force induced conformational changes of proteins. The goal of the project is to develop chemo-mechano-responsive systems relying on this simple idea: developing systems which respond chemically to stretching by modifying their conformation. This approach can be called Soft-Mechano-Chemistry. For this purpose we will design avidin monomer mutants. The mutations will allow to covalently anchor these proteins onto an elastomeric substrate and to weaken the avidin interaction with biotin upon stretching. This should allow enhancing the modulation of the avidin/biotin binding strength. This project should result in the first system where the ligand/receptor interaction can be modulated by force-induced conformational changes. It should also constitute a new type of biointeraction platform for biosensing and tissue engineering which can be modulated mechanically.
Bionic Chemistry & synthetic BioNanotechnology (2008-2014)
The focus of our research can be described as bionic chemistry. We take molecular concepts from natural systems and redesign its molecules and functions via a novel approach combing the power of synthetic organic and macromolecular chemistry with synthetic biology and bionanotechnology to ask and answer challenging questions in chemistry, material science, biology and medicine.
Our concepts are applied in analyzing and controlling intracellular networks, especially via genetically encoded protein switches and unnatural amino acids the latter allowing to define posttranlational modifications; the development and understanding of new catalytic systems in their dynamic range based on, or mimiking enzyme functions (e.g. for for green polymer chemistry, renewable materials and biofuel); biomimetic platforms for dynamic epitope presentation, the biosynthesis of defined structural and functional molecular protein-LEGO building blocks e.g. based on elastine like proteins (ELPs) in regenerative medicine as dynamic extracellular matrix systems serving as stem cell niche, as template in biomineralization and as example for a protein based rubber materials; and last but not least donut shaped proteins in nanobiotechnology for example as defined biolabeling platforms utilizing quantum dots, molecular electronics and biological solar cells.