Introduction

Surface (S)-layer are a paracrystalline repetition of one or several proteins that coat the outermost surface of some bacterial species. These proteins have interesting characteristics such as their functionalization (e.g. carotenoids), high stability and self-assembling. The present patent describes a method for isolating those proteins in solution and with high purity.

Technical features

Surface(S)-layer are a paracrystalline repetition of one or several proteins that coat the outermost surface of some bacterial species. These proteins have interesting characteristics such as their functionalization (e.g. carotenoids), high stability and self-assembling. Due to these properties, S-layer proteins are very difficult to isolate and keep in solution.

These aspects have limited their application in several fields. The present patent describes a method, named cold extrusion, that allows to isolate S-layer proteins in solution and with high purity by few and easy-to-follow steps, which can be applied for an industrial scaling.

Possible Applications

• Medicine;
• Biotechnology;
• Nanotechnology;
• Cosmetics.

Advantages

• Large scale production of S-layer proteins;
• Possibility to modulate the Self-assembling ability of S-layer proteins leading to regular sheets at nanometer scale (applications in nanometric filters and sensors);
• Production of nanotechnological materials for applications in nanotechnologies.