Journal Article
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118, iss. 26, 2021
Authors
Jesse L. Prelesnik, Robert G. Alberstein, Shuai Zhang, Harley Pyles, David Baker, Jim Pfaendtner, James J. De Yoreo, F. Akif Tezcan, Richard C. Remsing, Christopher J. Mundy
Abstract
Significance
Hard–soft interfaces between inorganic surfaces and biomolecules promote self-assembly processes with broad implications in biogeochemistry, energy sciences, nanomedicine, and origins of life. Yet, detailed molecular-scale understanding of inorganic–biomolecule interactions and their dependence on solution conditions is missing. We present a theory for the initial stages of inorganic–biomolecule assembly based on the far-field response of water, using experimentally characterized interactions between muscovite surfaces and mica-binding proteins as model systems. Our work connects molecular details of the solution to assembly outcomes and suggests the initial driving forces for assembly are dominated by long-range, ion-specific interactions. The connections made between interfacial structure and long-range surface–biomolecule interactions provide insights toward a predictive understanding of biomolecular self-assembly on mineral surfaces.
