Conjugates of Recombinant Protein-Based Polymers: Combining Precision with Chemical Diversity

Inspired by nature, scientists have harnessed the natural protein translation machinery to produce intricate and precise protein-based polymers (PBPs)-composed of natural amino acid monomers and assembled on the nano-to-macro scale-for drug and gene delivery, to sense the environment, to produce valuable molecules, and to grow cells and tissues. Beyond the chemical repertoire of natural amino acids, the conjugation of chemically diverse molecules to recombinant PBPs can increase the ability of the latter to mimic or modify the remarkable properties of natural biomaterials and to impart new functions. In this review, recent progress in the production and application of recombinant PBP-conjugates is described. First, the various approaches for protein conjugation or crosslinking are briefly discussed and then the utility of this approach for imparting new or improved properties and functions onto PBPs composed of elastin-, resilin-, silk-, or collagen-based sequences is demonstrated. Finally, emerging knowledge of and technologies for PBP-conjugate production with the potential to expand the use of such precise and chemically diverse polymers in biomedicine is discussed.