Oriented Attachment of Recombinant Proteins to Agarose-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles by Means of a β‑Trefoil Lectin Domain

Design of generic methods aimed at the oriented attachment of proteins at the interfacial environment of magnetic nanoparticles currently represents an active field of research. With this in mind, we have prepared and characterized agarose-coated maghemite nanoparticles to set up a platform for the attachment of recombinant proteins fused to the β-trefoil lectin domain LSL₁₅₀, a small protein that combines fusion tag properties with agarose-binding capacity. Analysis of the agarose-coated nanoparticles by dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric studies shows that decoupling particle formation from agarose coating provides better results in terms of coating efficiency and particle size distribution. LSL₁₅₀ interacts with these agarose-coated nanoparticles exclusively through the recognition of the sugars of the polymer, forming highly stable complexes, which in turn can be dissociated ad hoc with the competing sugar lactose. Characterization of the complexes formed with the fusion proteins LSL-EGFP (LSL-tagged enhanced green fluorescent protein from Aquorea victoria) and LSL-BTL2 (LSL-tagged lipase from Geobacillus thermocatenolatus) provided evidence supporting a topologically oriented binding of these molecules to the interface of the agarose-coated nanoparticles. This is consistent with the marked polarity of the β-trefoil structure where the sugar-binding sites and the N- and C-terminus ends are at opposed sides. In summary, LSL₁₅₀ displays topological and functional features expected from a generic molecular adaptor for the oriented attachment of proteins at the interface of agarose-coated nanoparticles