Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have succeeded in discovering and isolating a new protein from the poplar tree with special structural and qualitative characteristics that could have consequences for development of future nanocapsules for drug delivery to cancer cells.
In addition to being obtained from plant tissue, the protein can now also be produced in large quantities as a recombinant protein in bacteria, making it highly available for medicinal or other applications.
Called SP-1, the protein has a nanometric, “bagel-shaped,” circular form and is extremely stable. It has been found to be capable of surviving contact with enzymes that break down proteins or exposure to extreme conditions such as boiling, excessive acidity, salinity, organic solvents or detergent solutions.
The research was conducted at the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences in Rehovot by Prof. Arie Altman, head of the faculty’s Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, and Prof. Oded Shoseyov, with the participation of Dr. Wangxia Wang and Dr. Dan Pelah and the scientists of Fulcrum SP Ltd.: Dr. Amnon Wolf, Dr. Ira Marton and Dr. Yonatan Puny.
According to Profs. Altman and Shoseyov, the SP-1 protein serves to assist in creating a properly folded and functioning structure of other proteins within the plant’s cells. The SP-1 also has the ability to assemble itself into a structure composed of 12 identical units, making it exceptionally resistant to extreme conditions. These qualities are rarely found among proteins and make the SP-1 a promising candidate for a multiplicity of uses in developing medicinal applications in the rapidly growing field of nanobiotechnology.