Dynamic Behavior of Cargo Proteins Regulated by Linker Peptides on a Protein Needle Scaffold

Abstract
We investigated the effect of linkers on the dynamics of cargo proteins by using a protein needle (PN) scaffold linked to superfolder green fluorescent proteins (sfGFPs) via various linkers. High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) revealed clear images of the sfGFP motions on the PN. The results showed that the mobility of cargo proteins is affected by the flexibility and length of linker as well as the intermolecular interactions between the cargo protein and the scaffold protein.