Protein crystallization in short-peptide supramolecular hydrogels: a versatile strategy towards biotechnological composite materials

Abstract

Protein crystallization in hydrogels has been explored with the main purpose of facilitating the growth of high quality crystals while increasing their size to enhance their manipulation. New avenues are currently being built for the use of protein crystals as source materials to create sensors and drug delivery vehicles, to name just a few. In this sense, short-peptide supramolecular hydrogels may play a crucial role in integrating protein crystals within a wider range of applications. In this article, we show that protein crystallization in short-peptide supramolecular hydrogels is feasible and independent of the type of peptide that forms the hydrogel and/or the protein, although the output is not always the same. As a general trend, it is confirmed that hydrogel fibers are always incorporated within crystals so that novel composite materials for biotechnological applications with enhanced properties are produced.