Fabrication of Polymer–Protein Hybrids

Abstract

Rapid developments in organic chemistry and polymer chemistry promote the synthesis of polymer-protein hybrids with different structures and biofunctionalities. In this feature article, recent progress achieved in the synthesis of polymer-protein conjugates, protein-nanoparticle core-shell structures, and polymer-protein nanogels/hydrogels is briefly reviewed. The polymer-protein conjugates can be synthesized by the "grafting-to" or the "grafting-from" approach. In this article, different coupling reactions and polymerization methods used in the synthesis of bioconjugates are reviewed. Protein molecules can be immobilized on the surfaces of nanoparticles by covalent or noncovalent linkages. The specific interactions and chemical reactions employed in the synthesis of core-shell structures are discussed. Finally, a general introduction to the synthesis of environmentally responsive polymer-protein nanogels/hydrogels by chemical cross-linking reactions or molecular recognition is provided.

Macroporous Polymer–Protein Hybrid Materials for Antibody Purification by Combination of Reactive Gelation and Click-Chemistry

“…Thereby, different pathways by which proteins can be attached to a polymer support have been described and commonly involve physical adsorption, specific biological recognition, self-assembly, or covalent immobilization [14]. The covalent attachment is usually preferred whenever protein leaching from the support is a major concern.…”

Polymeric Nanostructures Containing Proteins and Peptides for Pharmaceutical Applications

“…On the contrary to the covalent-based bonding of polymer-protein bioconjugates, which generates powerful and stable connections between them, the non-covalent strategy produces architectures with superior specificity and reversibility [52]. Non-covalent approaches to biocomplexation rely on interactions such as electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and protein-polymer coordination, yet this linking is prone to different stimuli, such as salt, temperature, and pH; thus, the environmental alterations may influence the core-corona structures of such polymeric nanoparticles, leading to their dissociation [59]. Additionally, studies have proposed non-covalent PEGylation as a favorable tailoring approach for managing protein stability.…”

A Strategy Based on Loop Analysis to Develop Peptide Epitopes: Application to SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein

“…The candidate sequences can be covalently linked to a selected support such as a polymer matrix to form a bioconjugate polymer. One of the best method for the development of this hybrid protein-polymer system is the use of crosslinker molecules ( Ju et al, 2018 ; Murata et al, 2018 ) that allows to prepare site-specific polymer bioconjugates ( Chen et al, 2020 ). Bio-conjugation that binds a single polymer chain to a synthon moiety distant from the active center was explored firstly for the pegylation route and developed in 2001 to other polymers ( Veronese, 2001 ).…”