{
  "abstract": "Understanding and controlling the organization of water at molecular interfaces is a longstanding goal in both biological and materials sciences, as it controls the biophysical properties of the surfaces. For example, semi-clathrate waters containing polygonal hydrogen-bonded water clusters found in some antifreeze proteins (AFPs), are thought to play key roles in interacting with ice. Despite this significance, the lack of well-defined design principles makes it difficult to rationally construct such ordered hydration architectures. Here, we report the rational construction of a semiclathrate-like water network in an engineered ferritin cage. We designed a series of alanine (Ala) mutants on the internal surface of the ferritin cage and analyzed the formation of semi-clathratelike water networks using X-ray crystal structure analysis. Our results indicate that the continuous hydrophobic surface formed by the Ala mutation organizes water molecules on its surface, forming semi-clathrate-like water networks. Specific hydrogen-bonding networks involving the main-chain carbonyl group were found to play a key role in initiating the formation of semi-clathrate-like water networks. These findings are significant for organizing water molecules on the protein surface to control biophysical properties.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Life Science and Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo, Nagatsuta-cho 4259, Midoriku, Yokohama, Japan, 226-8501",
    "Department of Chemistry",
    "Mahindra University, Ecole Centrale School of Engineering",
    "Graduate School of Science",
    "Chiba University",
    "Center of Quantum Life Science for Structural Therapeutics (cQUEST)",
    "Institute of Integrated Research (IIR), Institute of Science Tokyo; Research Center for Autonomous Systems Materialogy (ASMat),, Nagatsuta-cho 4259, Yokohama, Japan, 226-8501"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Basudev Maity"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jiaxin Tian"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tadaomi Furuta"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Satoshi Yasuda"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Takeshi Murata"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Takafumi Ueno"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dg5d5px14maxj.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15010230/v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "dg5d5px14maxj",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010230/v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1902|nanoparticles nucleation surface interactions"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221557676",
  "pdf_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/pdf/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010230/v1",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-11",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dg5d5px14maxj.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:22Z",
      "native_id": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15010230",
      "source": "chemrxiv",
      "url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010230/v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:1902|nanoparticles nucleation surface interactions",
      "subfield": "atmospheric"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Rational construction of semi-clathrate-like water networks on engineered ferritin cages",
  "title_text": "Rational construction of semi-clathrate-like water networks on engineered ferritin cages",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:22Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dg5d5px14maxj",
  "venue": "ChemRxiv",
  "versions": []
}