Incorporation of a Recombinant Biomineralization Fusion Protein into the Crystalline Lattice of Calcite

High-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) combined with the Rietveld refinement method and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were utilized in this study to elucidate the interaction between a recombinant biomineralization protein (perlucin) fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) and synthetic calcite. Although recombinant perlucin is insoluble, its solubility was increased via fusion to the highly soluble GFP. We demonstrate that GFP-perlucin derivatives become incorporated into the calcite structure and induce concentration-dependent anisotropic lattice distortions along the host's c-axis. In contrast, GFP alone is hardly incorporated at all. The observed lattice distortions and peculiar microstructure of the crystals are comparable to those previously observed in biogenic calcite. Taking advantage of biotechnology to optimize individual protein properties, such as the solubility of an otherwise insoluble protein derivative, is a promising route toward the synthesis of new and improved biocomposite materials.