Abstract:

Tandem modular proteins underlie the elasticity of natural adhesives, cell adhesion proteins, and muscle proteins. The fundamental unit of elastic proteins is their individually folded modules. Here, we combine single molecule force spectroscopy and molecular biology to investigate the nanomechanical properties of these modular proteins. Our experiments reveal the mechanical design of modular proteins, and opens the way for the engineering of elastic proteins with defined and tunable mechanical properties, which can be used in tissue and fiber engineering.