Construction of artificial organelles via protein self-assembly and their applications

Abstract

Protein self-assembly represents a highly controllable and versatile strategy for the construction of artificial cells and their functional substructures. By harnessing or engineering the intrinsic assembly properties of natural proteins, diverse and structurally stable artificial organelles can be generated to enable spatial organization of enzymatic catalysis, metabolic pathways, and molecular transport. This review provides a comprehensive overview of representative protein self-assembly systems, including protein cages, scaffolds, and membraneless condensates, with an emphasis on their assembly principles, structural characteristics, and emerging applications in enzyme catalysis, mass transfer, and metabolic engineering. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future directions in the field, offering a conceptual and technical framework for the rational design of protein-based artificial organelles.