Construction of Silver Nanoparticles inside Microtubules Using Tau-Derived Peptide Ligated with Silver-Binding Peptide

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and silver nanowires (AgNWs) are interesting nanomaterials that attract significant research attention. The use of peptides/proteins as templates is a promising strategy for constructing uniform metal nano-particles and nanowires, including AgNPs and AgNWs. In this study, the inner space of microtubules was used to grow AgNPs and AgNWs (or nanowire-like one-dimensional nanoparticle assemblies) using a tandem peptide consisting of our developed Tau-derived peptide that binds to the inner surface of micro-tubules, and a silver-binding peptide. The incorporation of the peptide into microtubules, stabilization by crosslinking using glutaraldehyde, and subsequent incubation with a silver ion source and reductant, resulted in the formation of uniform AgNPs inside microtubules. The density and morphology of the AgNPs were varied by altering the incubation times and concentrations of the silver ion source and reductant. The developed AgNP-containing microtubules could be useful for future nanotechnological applications, particularly in nano-electronics and dynamic nanomaterials.