# Investigating common luminophore in protein-metal nano-complexes

> **NIH NIH R15** · UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE · 2024 · $448,536

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Biomaterials with luminescence in the visible wavelengths are the indispensable tool of biological research today.
A new class of luminescent protein material, protein-gold (Au) compounds, has attracted much attention with the
versatile applications including imaging, nanomedicine, and sensing. Proteins with vastly different sizes and
functions have been discovered to yield the nearly identical luminescence. Detailed examinations across all
these proteins, comparing the origin and the mechanism of the luminescence, should be desired to fully develop
this emerging technological opportunity. A widely-spread interpretation of the luminophore in the protein-Au
compound is the formation of a Au nanocluster, whose size determines the property of luminescence. This model
assumes proteins to have “static cage” of the same size. However, proteins are not static objects. Proteins
possess inherent dynamic characters, can unfold/fold reversibly, and undergo changes among multiple
conformations, associated with protein functions. The mechanism of the luminophore formation in the protein-
Au compounds may incorporate the dynamic characters of proteins and the conformation changes. Therefore,
an alternative to the prevailing Au nanocluster is needed for the luminophore. We consider a new concept: The
luminophore results from binding of a Au cation to a common motif of amino acid residues in a protein, forming
a coordination complex. We will elucidate this common motif by combining the spectroscopy experiments and
bioinformatics analysis. The resulting knowledge is critical in identifying new luminescent protein-metal
complexes as well as in designing new luminescent peptides with broad utility in imaging, nanomedicine, and
sensing.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10875724
- **Project number:** 1R15GM154313-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE
- **Principal Investigator:** SHUNJI EGUSA
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $448,536
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10875724

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10875724, Investigating common luminophore in protein-metal nano-complexes (1R15GM154313-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10875724. Licensed CC0.

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