Reconstitution of bacteriorhodopsin with cationic poly(dimethylaminoethyl acrylate)-block-poly(methylacrylate) for bio-hybrid materials

Membrane proteins (MPs) play essential roles in determining the interactions of biological systems with their surroundings, and their reconstitution determines the application in a variety of areas. Artificial polymers are pursued in MP reconstitution for fabricating bio-hybrid materials due to their adjustable properties. In this work, a cationic amphiphilic copolymer was synthesized by RAFT polymerization of dimethylaminoethyl acrylate (DMAEA) and methylacrylate, followed by quaternization of the PDMAEA segments. The copolymer could self-assemble in water displaying a sphere morphology. As an example, MP bacteriorhodopsin could insert in the assembled micelles of the copolymer spontaneously when incubated together, which showed an affinity towards the surface of poly(ethylene terephthalate) film. This work may provide a facile strategy to prepare bio-hybrid materials for promising applications of membrane proteins.