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Biomolecules
Volume 16
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10.3390/biom16040537
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Article

An Engineered clMagR Tetramer with Enhanced Magnetism for Magnetic Manipulation

by
Peng Zhang
1,2,3,
Xiujuan Zhou
4,
Shenting Zhang
5,
Peilin Yang
6,
Zhu-An Xu
7,8,
Xin Zhang
1,2,
Junfeng Wang
1,2,
Tiantian Cai
3,9,
Yuebin Zhang
5,* and
Can Xie
3,9,*
1
High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
2
Science Island Branch of Graduate School, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230036, China
3
Institute of Quantum Sensing, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
4
Institute of Vegetables, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei 230001, China
5
Interdisciplinary Research Center for Biology and Chemistry, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China
6
State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
7
School of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
8
State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials & School of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
9
Institute of Fundamental and Transdisciplinary Research, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Biomolecules 2026, 16(4), 537; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16040537
Submission received: 5 March 2026 / Revised: 29 March 2026 / Accepted: 30 March 2026 / Published: 3 April 2026
(This article belongs to the Topic Metalloproteins and Metalloenzymes, 2nd Edition)
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Abstract

Biological manipulation via physical stimuli such as light and magnetism has become a central goal in modern biotechnology. Among these modalities, magnetic fields offer unique advantages, including deep tissue penetration and untethered interventions in living systems. An ideal platform for such a magnetogenetic toolkit would be a genetically encodable protein with tunable magnetic features under physiological conditions. However, the development of such tools has been hindered by the lack of robust and stable protein scaffolds with strong intrinsic magnetic properties. Inspired by animal magnetoreception in nature, here, we rationally designed and systematically screened single-chain variants of the magnetoreceptor MagR. Through nine iterative rounds of design and experimental validation, we generated 25 constructs and ultimately identified a stable single-chain-dimer-based-tetramer, SDT-MagR, as the optimal magnetic molecular platform. This engineered protein exhibits exceptional structural stability and state-dependent magnetic behavior, showing ferrimagnetic-like characteristics in the solid state and paramagnetic behavior in solution. With enhanced magnetic susceptibility, purified SDT-MagR can be directly attracted by a magnet in vitro, establishing it as a promising new platform for future biomagnetic manipulation and magnetogenetics applications.
Keywords: biomagnetic manipulation; MagR; SDT-MagR; exceptional stability; enhanced magnetism biomagnetic manipulation; MagR; SDT-MagR; exceptional stability; enhanced magnetism

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, P.; Zhou, X.; Zhang, S.; Yang, P.; Xu, Z.-A.; Zhang, X.; Wang, J.; Cai, T.; Zhang, Y.; Xie, C. An Engineered clMagR Tetramer with Enhanced Magnetism for Magnetic Manipulation. Biomolecules 2026, 16, 537. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16040537

AMA Style

Zhang P, Zhou X, Zhang S, Yang P, Xu Z-A, Zhang X, Wang J, Cai T, Zhang Y, Xie C. An Engineered clMagR Tetramer with Enhanced Magnetism for Magnetic Manipulation. Biomolecules. 2026; 16(4):537. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16040537

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Peng, Xiujuan Zhou, Shenting Zhang, Peilin Yang, Zhu-An Xu, Xin Zhang, Junfeng Wang, Tiantian Cai, Yuebin Zhang, and Can Xie. 2026. "An Engineered clMagR Tetramer with Enhanced Magnetism for Magnetic Manipulation" Biomolecules 16, no. 4: 537. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16040537

APA Style

Zhang, P., Zhou, X., Zhang, S., Yang, P., Xu, Z.-A., Zhang, X., Wang, J., Cai, T., Zhang, Y., & Xie, C. (2026). An Engineered clMagR Tetramer with Enhanced Magnetism for Magnetic Manipulation. Biomolecules, 16(4), 537. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16040537

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