Engineering bacteria to biosynthesize intricate protein complexes

Protein cages found within microbes help its contents weather the harsh intracellular environment—an observation that has many bioengineering applications. Tokyo Tech researchers have recently developed an innovative bioengineering approach that uses genetically modified bacteria to incorporate protein cages around protein crystals. This in-cell biosynthesis method efficiently produces highly customized protein complexes, which could find applications as advanced solid catalysts and functionalized nanomaterials.