FUSION PROTEINS CAPABLE OF BOTH PH AND TEMPERATURE INDUCED SELF-ASSEMBLY INTO NANOCAPSULES

摘要

The invention relates to a protein comprising a first polypeptide segment capable of forming a nanocapsule by assembling with a plurality of other polypeptide segments that are also capable of forming the nanocapsule and a second polypeptide segment capable of undergoing an inverse temperature transition, the segment comprising two or more monomeric units selected from the group of tetrapeptides, pentapeptides and hexapeptides. In the exemplified chimeric protein, the first polypepide fragment is the cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) capsid protein, and the second polypeptide comprises monomeric units derived from elastin that are known as elastin-like polypeptides.