Self-Assembly of Proteins and Peptides and their Applications in Bionanotechnology

Abstract

Self- assembly of biological molecules forms the basic principle in the formation of complex biological structures. Numerous proteins and peptides have been emerging as nanobiomaterials due to their ability to self-assemble into nanoscale structures like nanotubes, nanovesicles, helical ribbons and three dimensional fibrous scaffolds. This mini review discusses the basic principle underlying molecular self-assembly of proteins and peptides towards designing novel biomimetic nanomaterials and their potential applications in electronics, biotechnology, nanotechnology and biomedicine.