Left Beta-Helix peptides for the design of Artificial Metallo-enzymes

In order to reduce the energy consumption of chemical industry, as well as its impact on environment, new catalysts — based on earth abundant elements — are necessary. Catalysts made by anchoring a metal center in a protein scaffold are called artificial metallo-enzymes. The combination of catalytic properties of the metal together with the biological host yields interesting catalytic efficiency, especially in terms of regio- and enantio-selectivity, given that the host can be optimized by directed evolution. Our project aims at developping a flexible and generalizable approach as a tool for the design of artificial metallo-enzymes. It is based on the engineering of self-assembling peptides, folding into a ß-helix. This JCJC-ANR proposal constitutes the first step towards the ready-to-use tool: the design and characterisation of elementary peptidic bricks, and the control of their assembly.