Recombinant cage-like protein, method for producing the same, precious metal-recombinant cage-like protein complex, method for producing the same and recombinant dna

Abstract

The present invention relates to a precious metal-recombinant apoferritin complex produced by recombination technique, wherein the precious metal is gold (Au) or platinum (Pt), and wherein the residues of glutamic acid and aspartic acid in a channel of apoferritin complex are substituted with small polar amino acid residues or/and noncharged amino acid residues, e.g., serine, or/and with basic amino acid residues, e.g., lysine. The substitution prevents a repulsive force due to electrostatic interaction between a metal ion, e.g., (AuCl)that has a negative charge and a negative amino acid residue of the apoferritin, and facilitates the capture of (AuCl)into holding portion in the channel of said metal-recombinant apoferritin complex. The captured (AuCl)is subsequently reduced to Au, and thus the gold-recombinant apoferritin complex is produced.