Chemically Induced Self-Assembly of Enzyme Nanorings

Continued exploration into the field of chemically induced dimerization (CID) has revealed a number of applications for its use in a broader context as a method of structural assembly (1–4). In particular, the use of CID technology to generate self-assembled (and selectively disassembled) protein toroids serves as a key advancement toward developing stable and controllable protein-based platforms. Such structures have broad application to the development of novel therapeutics, lab-on-a-chip technologies, and multi-enzyme assemblies (5, 6). This chapter describes a method of developing an enzymatically active protein nanostructure incorporating both a CID-based assembly region containing dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and an enzymatic region consisting of histidine triad nucleotide binding protein 1 (Hint1). Details of both the production and the characterization of this structure are provided.