Structural Assemblyl of Reflectin Induced by Small Molecules

In this proposal, we will pioneer the use of SANS to investgate the structural assembly of reflectin in the presence of small molecules. Intrinsic self-assembly, along with the higher-order assembly triggered by the small molecules such as imidazole may serve as a prototype of the reflector. The addition of imidazole to reflectin changes the color from colorless to yellow and the protein assembly from brick-like to regular hexagonal lamellar structure as observed by spectral scanning and NMR experiments. We therefore propose a ‘reflector model’ of cephalopod color-blind camouflage based on the diversity and hierarchical assembly of reflectin. Our study will help elucidate the molecular mechanism of reflectin-mediated structural coloration and bio-invisibility, and with a perspective for bioinspired photonic materials.