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Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials: Current Challenges and Opportunities

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 17729

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yoshiko Okamura

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Guest Editor

Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima 739-8530, Japan
Interests: biomineraization; biogenic metal crystals; bio-inspired materials; biomineralization; marine biotechnology; metagenome; biomass

Prof. Dr. Michio Suzuki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: biomineralization; Bioinorganic Chemistry; Analytical Chemistry; bioremediation; Environmental Science; Material Science; Marine Biotechnology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biological systems sometimes create elaborate and hierarchical structures that are well-controlled and made in ordinary temperature and pressure in nature. Therefore, more than ever, biological materials are attracting a great deal of attention from not only biologists but also chemists, physicists and material scientists. For example, metal depositions are occasionally found in the natural environment through bioprocesses; however, those deposits form nano-sized and fine structures because of intermediators of bioprocess and show fine characteristics. Bioprocess and biogenic materials will provide new insights and visions for “green materials”. Moreover, to achieve a sustainable society, including metal recycling and meeting sustainable development goals (SDGs), our knowledge and ideas of biological and bio-inspired materials will be of great help.

This Special Issue, “Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials: Current Challenges and Opportunities”, aims to collect and publish recent advances in the area of biological materials and materials inspired by biological principles in order to share the ideas of bioprocess mechanisms of biogenic materials with chemists, physicists, biologists and with all scientists in general. We welcome all reviews and research articles describing structure-properties, molecular mechanisms, and new findings of biological materials. This includes also bio-inspired materials and properties to challenge the application studies.

Dr. Yoshiko Okamura
Prof. Dr. Michio Suzuki
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

biomineralization
biological and bio-inspired nano-composites
structure–properties relationship
bio-inspired fabrication and functionality

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2609 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Biogenic PbS Quantum Dots

by Yoshiko Okamura, Ryo Shimizu, Yoriko Tominaga, Sachiko Maki, Tsunehiro Aki, Yukihiko Matsumura and Yutaka Nakashimada

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 14149; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241814149 - 15 Sep 2023

Viewed by 750

Abstract

Heavy metals in a polluted environment are toxic to life. However, some microorganisms can remove or immobilize heavy metals through biomineralization. These bacteria also form minerals with compositions similar to those of semiconductors. Here, this bioprocess was used to fabricate semiconductors with low energy consumption and cost. Bacteria that form lead sulfide (PbS) nanoparticles were screened, and the crystallinity and semiconductor properties of the resulting nanoparticles were characterized. Bacterial consortia that formed PbS nanoparticles were obtained. Extracellular particle size ranged from 3.9 to 5.5 nm, and lattice fringes were observed. The lattice fringes and electron diffraction spectra corresponded to crystalline PbS. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of bacterial PbS exhibited clear diffraction peaks. The experimental and theoretical data of the diffraction angles on each crystal plane of polycrystalline PbS were in good agreement. Synchrotron XRD measurements showed no crystalline impurity-derived peaks. Thus, bacterial biomineralization can form ultrafine crystalline PbS nanoparticles. Optical absorption and current–voltage measurements of PbS were obtained to characterize the semiconductor properties; the results showed semiconductor quantum dot behavior. Moreover, the current increased under light irradiation when PbS nanoparticles were used. These results suggest that biogenic PbS has band gaps and exhibits the general fundamental characteristics of a semiconductor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials: Current Challenges and Opportunities)

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14 pages, 2451 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adsorption of Biomineralization Protein Mms6 on Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) Nanoparticles

by Kosuke Arai, Satoshi Murata, Taifeng Wang, Wataru Yoshimura, Mayumi Oda-Tokuhisa, Tadashi Matsunaga, David Kisailus and Atsushi Arakaki

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(10), 5554; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23105554 - 16 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2466

Abstract

Biomineralization is an elaborate process that controls the deposition of inorganic materials in living organisms with the aid of associated proteins. Magnetotactic bacteria mineralize magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles with finely tuned morphologies in their cells. Mms6, a magnetosome membrane specific (Mms) protein isolated from the surfaces of bacterial magnetite nanoparticles, plays an important role in regulating the magnetite crystal morphology. Although the binding ability of Mms6 to magnetite nanoparticles has been speculated, the interactions between Mms6 and magnetite crystals have not been elucidated thus far. Here, we show a direct adsorption ability of Mms6 on magnetite nanoparticles in vitro. An adsorption isotherm indicates that Mms6 has a high adsorption affinity (Kd = 9.52 µM) to magnetite nanoparticles. In addition, Mms6 also demonstrated adsorption on other inorganic nanoparticles such as titanium oxide, zinc oxide, and hydroxyapatite. Therefore, Mms6 can potentially be utilized for the bioconjugation of functional proteins to inorganic material surfaces to modulate inorganic nanoparticles for biomedical and medicinal applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials: Current Challenges and Opportunities)

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28 pages, 3107 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Analysis of Bacterial Cellulose Membranes Synthesized by Chosen Komagataeibacter Strains and Their Application Potential

by Monika Kaczmarek, Marzena Jędrzejczak-Krzepkowska and Karolina Ludwicka

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(6), 3391; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23063391 - 21 Mar 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2688

Abstract

This article presents a comparative analysis of bacterial cellulose membranes synthesized by several strains of the Komagataeibacter genus in terms of their specific physical, physico-chemical, and mechanical properties. Herein, the aim was to choose the most suitable microorganisms producing cellulosic materials with the greatest potential for the fabrication of bio-inspired nanocomposites. The selection was based on three main steps, starting from the evaluation of BNC biosynthetic efficiency with and without the addition of ethanol, followed by the assessment of mechanical breaking strength, and the physical parameters (compactness, structural integrity, appearance, and thickness) of the obtained biological materials. Ultimately, based on the performed screening procedure, three efficiently growing strains (K. hansenii H3 (6Et), K. rhaeticus K4 (8Et), and Komagataeibacter sp. isolated from balsamic vinegar (12Et)) were chosen for further modifications, enabling additional cellulose functionalization. Here, supplementation of the growth medium with five representative polymeric compounds (citrus/apple pectin, wheat starch, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol) led to significant changes in BNC properties, especially dye loading abilities, mechanical strength, and water adsorption/retention capacities. The resulting nanocomposites can be potentially useful in various fields of medicine and industry, and in the future, they may become a practical and cost-effective competitor against commercial biomaterials currently available on the market. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials: Current Challenges and Opportunities)

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15 pages, 4475 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deposition of Lead Phosphate by Lead-Tolerant Bacteria Isolated from Fresh Water near an Abandoned Mine

by Yugo Kato, Satoshi Kimura, Toshihiro Kogure and Michio Suzuki

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(5), 2483; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23052483 - 24 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1973

Abstract

Specialist bacteria can synthesize nanoparticles from various metal ions in solution. Metal recovery with high efficiency can be achieved by metal-tolerant microorganisms that proliferate in a concentrated metal solution. In this study, we isolated bacteria (Pseudomonas sp. strain KKY-29) from a bacterial library collected from water near an abandoned mine in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. KKY-29 was maintained in nutrient medium with lead acetate and synthesized hydrocerussite and pyromorphite nanoparticles inside the cell; KKY-29 also survived nanoparticle synthesis. Quantitative PCR analysis of genes related to phosphate metabolism showed that KKY-29 decomposed organic phosphorus to synthesize lead phosphate. KKY-29 also deposited various metal ions and synthesized metal nanoparticles when incubated in various metal salt solutions other than lead. The present study considers the development of biotechnology to recover lead as an economically valuable material. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials: Current Challenges and Opportunities)

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Review

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18 pages, 3716 KiB

Open AccessReview

Peptide-Based Materials That Exploit Metal Coordination

by Giovanni A. Bassan and Silvia Marchesan

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(1), 456; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010456 - 27 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2463

Abstract

Metal–ion coordination has been widely exploited to control the supramolecular behavior of a variety of building blocks into functional materials. In particular, peptides offer great chemical diversity for metal-binding modes, combined with inherent biocompatibility and biodegradability that make them attractive especially for medicine, sensing, and environmental remediation. The focus of this review is the last 5 years’ progress in this exciting field to conclude with an overview of the future directions that this research area is currently undertaking. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials: Current Challenges and Opportunities)

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13 pages, 4970 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Mini-Review on Reflectins, from Biochemical Properties to Bio-Inspired Applications

by Junyi Song, Baoshan Li, Ling Zeng, Zonghuang Ye, Wenjian Wu and Biru Hu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(24), 15679; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232415679 - 10 Dec 2022

Viewed by 2526

Abstract

Some cephalopods (squids, octopuses, and cuttlefishes) produce dynamic structural colors, for camouflage or communication. The key to this remarkable capability is one group of specialized cells called iridocytes, which contain aligned membrane-enclosed platelets of high-reflective reflectins and work as intracellular Bragg reflectors. These reflectins have unusual amino acid compositions and sequential properties, which endows them with functional characteristics: an extremely high reflective index among natural proteins and the ability to answer various environmental stimuli. Based on their unique material composition and responsive self-organization properties, the material community has developed an impressive array of reflectin- or iridocyte-inspired optical systems with distinct tunable reflectance according to a series of internal and external factors. More recently, scientists have made creative attempts to engineer mammalian cells to explore the function potentials of reflectin proteins as well as their working mechanism in the cellular environment. Progress in wide scientific areas (biophysics, genomics, gene editing, etc.) brings in new opportunities to better understand reflectins and new approaches to fully utilize them. The work introduced the composition features, biochemical properties, the latest developments, future considerations of reflectins, and their inspiration applications to give newcomers a comprehensive understanding and mutually exchanged knowledge from different communities (e.g., biology and material). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials: Current Challenges and Opportunities)

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13 pages, 1821 KiB

Open AccessReview

3D Printing in Regenerative Medicine: Technologies and Resources Utilized

by Antreas Kantaros

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(23), 14621; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232314621 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 42 | Viewed by 3963

Abstract

Over the past ten years, the use of additive manufacturing techniques, also known as “3D printing”, has steadily increased in a variety of scientific fields. There are a number of inherent advantages to these fabrication methods over conventional manufacturing due to the way that they work, which is based on the layer-by-layer material-deposition principle. These benefits include the accurate attribution of complex, pre-designed shapes, as well as the use of a variety of innovative raw materials. Its main advantage is the ability to fabricate custom shapes with an interior lattice network connecting them and a porous surface that traditional manufacturing techniques cannot adequately attribute. Such structures are being used for direct implantation into the human body in the biomedical field in areas such as bio-printing, where this potential is being heavily utilized. The fabricated items must be made of biomaterials with the proper mechanical properties, as well as biomaterials that exhibit characteristics such as biocompatibility, bioresorbability, and biodegradability, in order to meet the strict requirements that such procedures impose. The most significant biomaterials used in these techniques are listed in this work, but their advantages and disadvantages are also discussed in relation to the aforementioned properties that are crucial to their use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials: Current Challenges and Opportunities)

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