Engineering Bacteria to Biosynthesize Intricate Protein Complexes

Protein cages found in nature within microbes help weather its contents from the harsh intracellular environment—an observation with many bioengineering applications. Tokyo Tech researchers recently developed an innovative bioengineering approach using genetically modified bacteria; these bacteria can 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.