Keywords
protein compartmentalization
protein engineering
biocatalysis
nanobiotechnology
How to Cite
Abstract
Encapsulins are protein nanocompartments found in bacteria and archaea that help with enzyme compartmentalization and control of internal metabolic processes. These icosahedral structures, which evolved from viral capsids, assemble naturally and are highly stable against heat and chemicals. Their ability to recognize and trap specific proteins through targeting peptides, along with their adaptability to genetic engineering, makes them useful for many applications. This review covers current knowledge about the biology, structure, and functional types of encapsulins, including new insights from recent phylogenetic studies. It explains how natural encapsulation works and describes engineered methods to load different cargos using genetic fusion or post-translational assembly. The review also discusses recent advancements in pore and surface engineering, which enable customized molecular transport and interactions with target cells. Lastly, it explores their uses in biocatalysis, diagnostics, targeted therapy, biosensing, and intracellular storage, along with the key challenges and future prospects for using encapsulins in biomedical and industrial fields. Overall, encapsulins show great promise as modular tools in biotechnology and synthetic biology.
References
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