CAREER: Creating Materials via Active Self-Assembly Driven by Biomolecular Motors

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

This Career award by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research to University of Florida is to support studies in understanding the crucial first steps towards assembling strained and non-equilibrium structures which significantly expand the accessible design space in nanotechnology. The objective of the program is to show that the current boundaries of self-assemblies can be dramatically expanded by biomolecular motors. Specifically, the proposed studies will be shown that biomolecular motors can: (1) accelerate self-assembly; (2) generate non-equilibrium structures; (3) impose an assembly hierarchy; (4) assemble macroscopic structures from nanoscale building blocks; and (5) integrate synthetic building blocks. To this end, the project utilizes a carefully crafted combination of experiments, theory, and computer simulations to generate insights into the dynamics of a model system, which is based on functionalized microtubules gliding and self assembling on kinesin motor-coated surfaces. Using taxol-stabilized and biotinylated microtubules as building blocks ranging in size from 1 micrometer to 50 micrometer in length will be prepared. The assembly of biotinylated microtubules partially covered with streptavidin will be conducted on kinesin-coated and lipid layer-coated surfaces to compare motor-driven and diffusion-driven assemblies respectively. The goal of the program is to formulate the rules governing these "activated" self-assembly processes. These insights will impact the synthesis of nanostructures with applications in molecular electronics and adaptive materials, and will also dramatically further our understanding of the role of biomolecular motors in the assembly of biological materials. By dissecting the processes of hierarchical assembly and the integration of synthetic building blocks, it would be possible that a large number of independent transporters in combination with a basic set of interaction rules can assemble complex structures with sizes orders of magnitude larger than the individual transporter. This represents a biomimetic approach to the rapid assembly of nanoscale building blocks into complex nano- and mesoscale structures, which marries self-assembly principles with the controlled generation of molecular forces by nanomachines. The nanomachines of choice are biomolecular motors, which can efficiently convert chemical energy into mechanical work. A cellular automaton-based approach will be used to model the dynamics of the system, and assemble a software package to provide a general modeling tool for molecular motor-based self-assembly. The research project spans the interface between the life sciences and engineering, drawing inspirations and materials from biology and quantitative approaches and applications from engineering. Two innovative activities are proposed to integrate research and teaching: (1) Development of a software program in collaborative with computer scientists to visualize thermal motion in experiments that are being developed, and this visualization is to provide an improved view into the nanoworld. In addition to visualizing the systems, the software will build a game, which lets the player act in a nanoworld buffeted by thermal motion; and (2) Interdisciplinary training of undergraduate students through international collaborations and interactions, which will be expanded on existing collaborations of the PI through a program for international research experiences for undergraduate students at University of Florida in Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain and Japan.