Proteins can readily assemble into rigid, crystalline and functional structures such as viral capsids and bacterial compartments. Despite ongoing advances, it is still a fundamental challenge to design and synthesize protein-mimetic molecules to form crystalline structures. Here we report the lattice self-assembly of cyclodextrin complexes into a variety of capsid-like structures such as lamellae, helical tubes and hollow rhombic dodecahedra. The dodecahedral morphology has not hitherto been observed in self-assembly systems. The tubes can spontaneously encapsulate colloidal particles and liposomes. The dodecahedra and tubes are respectively comparable to and much larger than the largest known virus. In particular, the resemblance to protein assemblies is not limited to morphology but extends to structural rigidity and crystallinity-a well-defined, 2D rhombic lattice of molecular arrangement is strikingly universal for all the observed structures. We propose a simple design rule for the current lattice self-assembly, potentially opening doors for new protein-mimetic materials.

中文翻译：

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环糊精复合物晶格自组装的巨大衣壳。

蛋白质可以容易地组装成刚性的，结晶的和功能性的结构，例如病毒衣壳和细菌区室。尽管取得了不断的进步，但是设计和合成模拟蛋白质的分子以形成晶体结构仍然是一个根本性的挑战。在这里，我们报告环糊精复合物的晶格自组装成各种衣壳状结构，如薄片，螺旋管和空心菱形十二面体。迄今为止，在自组装系统中尚未观察到十二面体形态。这些试管可以自发地包封胶体颗粒和脂质体。十二面体和试管分别与已知的最大病毒相当，并且比之大得多。特别是，与蛋白质装配体的相似之处不仅限于形态，还包括结构刚性和结晶度-定义明确，分子排列的二维菱形晶格对于所有观察到的结构都非常普遍。我们为当前的晶格自组装提出了一个简单的设计规则，可能为新型的模拟蛋白质材料打开大门。