Materials 2010, 3(9), 4607-4625; doi:10.3390/ma3094607
Review

Creating Surface Properties Using a Palette of Hydrophobins

Filippo Zampieri 1,2,3 email, Han A. B. Wösten 1 email and Karin Scholtmeijer 1,* email
1 Microbiology, Institute of Biomembranes, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands 2 BiOMaDe Technology Foundation, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands 3 Department of Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB), University of Groningen, PO Box 14, 9750 AA Haren, The Netherlands
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 9 August 2010; in revised form: 20 August 2010 / Accepted: 3 September 2010 / Published: 6 September 2010
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Surface Coatings)
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Abstract: Small secreted proteins called hydrophobins play diverse roles in the life cycle of filamentous fungi. For example, the hydrophobin SC3 of Schizophyllum commune is involved in aerial hyphae formation, cell-wall assembly and attachment to hydrophobic surfaces. Hydrophobins are capable of self-assembly at a hydrophilic-hydrophobic interface, resulting in the formation of an amphipathic film. This amphipathic film can make hydrophobic surfaces of a liquid or a solid material wettable, while a hydrophilic surface can be turned into a hydrophobic one. These properties, among others, make hydrophobins of interest for medical and technical applications. For instance, hydrophobins can be used to purify proteins from complex mixtures; to reduce the friction of materials; to increase the biocompatibility of medical implants; to increase the solubility of water insoluble drugs; and to immobilize enzymes, for example, biosensor surfaces.
Keywords: hydrophobin; self-assembly; wettability; coating of surfaces; immobilization

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Zampieri, F.; Wösten, H.A.B.; Scholtmeijer, K. Creating Surface Properties Using a Palette of Hydrophobins. Materials 2010, 3, 4607-4625.

AMA Style

Zampieri F, Wösten HAB, Scholtmeijer K. Creating Surface Properties Using a Palette of Hydrophobins. Materials. 2010; 3(9):4607-4625.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zampieri, Filippo; Wösten, Han A. B.; Scholtmeijer, Karin. 2010. "Creating Surface Properties Using a Palette of Hydrophobins." Materials 3, no. 9: 4607-4625.

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