Biodegradable textile fibers with inherent color and properties
A biopolymer composition can be formed based, at least in part, on a recombinantly expressed protein, expressed from a DNA coding sequence of a source protein, and the recombinantly expressed protein can optionally comprise one or more tags that enhance the crosslinking capacity of the protein. It was determined that such biopolymer composition can be suitable for use to obtain, for example, a biodegradable textile that exhibits a functional characteristic associated with the recombinantly expressed protein.
1 . A method for generating a biotextile material comprising:
(a) obtaining a biopolymer composition comprising (i) a purified, recombinantly expressed protein, the recombinantly expressed protein having been expressed from a DNA coding sequence of a source protein selected from the group consisting of a fluorescent protein, elastin, or pelovaterin, and (ii) at least one of a gelatin, cellulose, or polysaccharide;
(b) exposing the composition to a transglutaminase curing bath maintained at a temperature of 25° C. or lower to enzymatically crosslink the recombinantly expressed protein to at least another unit of the recombinantly expressed protein or the gelatin, cellulose, or polysaccharide of the biopolymer composition; and
(c) generating a biotextile material based on the crosslinked composition, the biotextile material exhibiting a functional characteristic associated with the recombinantly expressed protein.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the DNA coding sequence is modified to include at least one tag sequence that enhances the crosslinking capacity of the recombinantly expressed protein.
3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the source protein is a green fluorescent protein (GFP), a red fluorescent protein (RFP), a near-infrared fluorescent protein, or a blue fluorescent protein (BFP).
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transglutaminase to which the composition is exposed is at a concentration of 0.01% to 15% per unit volume of the composition.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
extruding fiber by using the crosslinked composition, wherein the fiber is extruded at rate of 1.75-2.0 ml per minute, and/or wherein constant tension is applied to the fiber during extrusion.
6 . A method for generating a biotextile material comprising:
(a) obtaining a biopolymer composition comprising (i) a purified source protein, wherein the source protein is at least one of elastin, pelovaterin, a fluorescent protein, or soy protein isolate, and (ii) at least one of a gelatin, cellulose, or polysaccharide, and wherein the biopolymer composition is obtained in a solution having a pH between 3 and 10;
(b) crosslinking a molecule of the purified source protein to at least another molecule of the purified source protein or the gelatin, cellulose, or polysaccharide of the biopolymer composition by exposing the composition to a crosslinking enzyme and/or a solution comprising calcium chloride; and
(c) generating a biotextile material based on the crosslinked composition, the biotextile material exhibiting a functional characteristic associated with the purified source protein.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the source protein is a recombinantly expressed protein, and the recombinantly expressed protein is expressed from a DNA coding sequence of the source protein.
8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising modifying the DNA coding sequence of the source protein to include at least one tag sequence that enhances a crosslinking capacity of the recombinantly expressed protein.
9 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising exposing the biopolymer composition obtained in (a) to a glycerol solution, wherein a concentration of glycerol in the solution is 0.1% to 10% v/v.
10 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising exposing the biopolymer composition obtained in (a) to a glycerol solution,
wherein the biopolymer composition obtained in (a) comprises a soy protein isolate, and wherein the crosslinking is performed in (b) by exposing the composition to transglutaminase.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the cellulose is methyl-cellulose or microbial nanocellulose.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transglutaminase curing bath has a pH in the range of 5.6-8.8.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is exposed to the transglutaminase curing bath for at least 15 minutes.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in the composition, a ratio of the recombinantly expressed protein to the transglutaminase is in a range from 1:1 to 300:1.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the recombinantly expressed protein in the composition is 0.1%-0.2% per unit volume.
16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the biopolymer composition obtained in (a) is in solution and an amount of the recombinantly expressed protein in the solution is in a range from 0.84 mg/ml to 3.495 mg/ml.
17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the gelatin in the composition is at least 20% of the composition.
18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the recombinantly expressed protein to the gelatin ratio is at least 1:1000 by mass; or
wherein the cellulose is microbial nanocellulose and the recombinantly expressed protein to the microbial nanocellulose ratio is at least 1:1000 by mass.