Self‐Assembly of Pseudo‐Isocyanine Chloride as a Sensor for Macromolecular Crowding In Vitro and In Vivo

Wall morphogenesis in higher plants is a problem still open to controversy. Until now the possibility of a transmembrane control and the involvement of microtubules were mostly envisaged. Self-assembly processes have been observed in the case of walls of Chlamydomonas and bacteria. Spontaneous gelling interactions between xanthan and galactomannan from Ceratonia have been analyzed very recently. The present work provides indications that some processes of spontaneous aggregation could occur in higher plants during the formation and expansion of cell wall.Observations were performed on hypocotyl of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) for which growth characteristics and wall composition have been previously defined.In situ, the walls of actively growing cells (primary walls) show an ordered three-dimensional organization (fig. 1). The wall is typically polylamellate with multifibrillar layers alternately transverse and longitudinal. Between these layers intermediate strata exist in which the orientation of microfibrils progressively rotates. Thus a progressive change in the morphogenetic activity occurs.

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Programmable in vitro Co-Encapsidation of Guest Proteins Inside Protein Nanocages

10.26434/chemrxiv.5844393 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Noor H. Dashti ◽

Rufika S. Abidin ◽

Frank Sainsbury

Keyword(s):

Self Assembly ◽

Mammalian Cells ◽

Resonance Energy Transfer ◽

Resonance Energy ◽

Super Resolution ◽

Cell Engineering ◽

Particle Analysis ◽

Protein Cages

Bioinspired self-sorting and self-assembling systems using engineered versions of natural protein cages have been developed for biocatalysis and therapeutic delivery. The packaging and intracellular delivery of guest proteins is of particular interest for both in vitro and in vivo cell engineering. However, there is a lack of platforms in bionanotechnology that combine programmable guest protein encapsidation with efficient intracellular uptake. We report a minimal peptide anchor for in vivo self-sorting of cargo-linked capsomeres of the Murine polyomavirus (MPyV) major coat protein that enables controlled encapsidation of guest proteins by in vitro self-assembly. Using Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) we demonstrate the flexibility in this system to support co-encapsidation of multiple proteins. Complementing these ensemble measurements with single particle analysis by super-resolution microscopy shows that the stochastic nature of co-encapsidation is an overriding principle. This has implications for the design and deployment of both native and engineered self-sorting encapsulation systems and for the assembly of infectious virions. Taking advantage of the encoded affinity for sialic acids ubiquitously displayed on the surface of mammalian cells, we demonstrate the ability of self-assembled MPyV virus-like particles to mediate efficient delivery of guest proteins to the cytosol of primary human cells. This platform for programmable co-encapsidation and efficient cytosolic delivery of complementary biomolecules therefore has enormous potential in cell engineering.

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Development of In Situ Self-Assembly Nanoparticles to Encapsulate Lopinavir and Ritonavir for Long-Acting Subcutaneous Injection

Pharmaceutics ◽

10.3390/pharmaceutics13060904 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 904

Author(s):

Irin Tanaudommongkon ◽

Asama Tanaudommongkon ◽

Xiaowei Dong

Keyword(s):

Sustained Release ◽

Trough Concentration ◽

Self Assembly ◽

Subcutaneous Injection ◽

Drug Loading ◽

Entrapment Efficiency ◽

Long Acting

Most antiretroviral medications for human immunodeficiency virus treatment and prevention require high levels of patient adherence, such that medications need to be administered daily without missing doses. Here, a long-acting subcutaneous injection of lopinavir (LPV) in combination with ritonavir (RTV) using in situ self-assembly nanoparticles (ISNPs) was developed to potentially overcome adherence barriers. The ISNP approach can improve the pharmacokinetic profiles of the drugs. The ISNPs were characterized in terms of particle size, drug entrapment efficiency, drug loading, in vitro release study, and in vivo pharmacokinetic study. LPV/RTV ISNPs were 167.8 nm in size, with a polydispersity index of less than 0.35. The entrapment efficiency was over 98% for both LPV and RTV, with drug loadings of 25% LPV and 6.3% RTV. A slow release rate of LPV was observed at about 20% on day 5, followed by a sustained release beyond 14 days. RTV released faster than LPV in the first 5 days and slower than LPV thereafter. LPV trough concentration remained above 160 ng/mL and RTV trough concentration was above 50 ng/mL after 6 days with one subcutaneous injection. Overall, the ISNP-based LPV/RTV injection showed sustained release profiles in both in vitro and in vivo studies.

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Force generation by protein–DNA co-condensation

Nature Physics ◽

10.1038/s41567-021-01285-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thomas Quail ◽

Stefan Golfier ◽

Maria Elsner ◽

Keisuke Ishihara ◽

Vasanthanarayan Murugesan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Optical Tweezers ◽

Self Assembly ◽

Spider Silk ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Heterochromatin Formation ◽

First Order Phase Transition ◽

Dna Strand ◽

First Order Phase

AbstractInteractions between liquids and surfaces generate forces1,2 that are crucial for many processes in biology, physics and engineering, including the motion of insects on the surface of water3, modulation of the material properties of spider silk4 and self-assembly of microstructures5. Recent studies have shown that cells assemble biomolecular condensates via phase separation6. In the nucleus, these condensates are thought to drive transcription7, heterochromatin formation8, nucleolus assembly9 and DNA repair10. Here we show that the interaction between liquid-like condensates and DNA generates forces that might play a role in bringing distant regulatory elements of DNA together, a key step in transcriptional regulation. We combine quantitative microscopy, in vitro reconstitution, optical tweezers and theory to show that the transcription factor FoxA1 mediates the condensation of a protein–DNA phase via a mesoscopic first-order phase transition. After nucleation, co-condensation forces drive growth of this phase by pulling non-condensed DNA. Altering the tension on the DNA strand enlarges or dissolves the condensates, revealing their mechanosensitive nature. These findings show that DNA condensation mediated by transcription factors could bring distant regions of DNA into close proximity, suggesting that this physical mechanism is a possible general regulatory principle for chromatin organization that may be relevant in vivo.

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Dissecting the Structure-Function Relationship of a Fungicidal Peptide Derived from the Constant Region of Human Immunoglobulins

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ◽

10.1128/aac.01753-15 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (4) ◽

pp. 2435-2442 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Tecla Ciociola ◽

Thelma A. Pertinhez ◽

Laura Giovati ◽

Martina Sperindè ◽

Walter Magliani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Self Assembly ◽

Galleria Mellonella ◽

Critical Role ◽

Yeast Cells ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Constant Region ◽

Content Type ◽

Complementarity Determining Regions

ABSTRACTSynthetic peptides encompassing sequences related to the complementarity-determining regions of antibodies or derived from their constant region (Fc peptides) were proven to exert differential antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumor, and/or immunomodulatory activitiesin vitroand/orin vivo, regardless of the specificity and isotype of the parental antibody. Alanine substitution derivatives of these peptides exhibited unaltered, increased, or decreased candidacidal activitiesin vitro. The bioactive IgG-derived Fc N10K peptide (NQVSLTCLVK) spontaneously self-assembles, a feature previously recognized as relevant for the therapeutic activity of another antibody-derived peptide. We evaluated the contribution of each residue to the peptide self-assembling capability by circular-dichroism spectroscopy. The interaction of the N10K peptide and its derivatives withCandida albicanscells was studied by confocal, transmission, and scanning electron microscopy. The apoptosis and autophagy induction profiles in yeast cells treated with the peptides were evaluated by flow cytometry, and the therapeutic efficacy against candidal infection was studied in aGalleria mellonellamodel. Overall, the results indicate a critical role for some residues in the self-assembly process and a correlation of that capability with the candidacidal activities of the peptidesin vitroand their therapeutic effectsin vivo.

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Charge influences substrate recognition and self-assembly of hydrophobic FG sequences

10.1101/090159 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Wesley G. Chen ◽

Jacob Witten ◽

Scott C. Grindy ◽

Niels Holten-Andersen ◽

Katharina Ribbeck

Keyword(s):

Amino Acid ◽

Self Assembly ◽

Amino Acid Sequences ◽

Nuclear Pore ◽

Selective Binding ◽

Charged Amino Acids ◽

Essential Components ◽

Transport Receptors

AbstractThe nuclear pore complex controls the passage of molecules via hydrophobic phenylalanine-glycine (FG) domains on nucleoporins. Such FG-domains consist of repeating units of FxFG, FG, or GLFG sequences, which can be interspersed with highly charged amino acid sequences. Despite the high density of charge exhibited in certain FG-domains, if and how charge influences FG-domain self-assembly and selective binding of nuclear transport receptors is largely unexplored. Studying how individual charged amino acids contribute to nuclear pore selectivity is challenging with modern in vivo and in vitro techniques due to the complexity of nucleoporin sequences. Here, we present a rationally designed approach to deconstruct essential components of nucleoporins down to 14 amino acid sequences. With these nucleoporin-based peptides, we systematically dissect how charge type and placement of charge influences self-assembly and selective binding of FG-containing gels. Specifically, we find that charge type determines which hydrophobic substrates FG sequences recognize while spatial localization of charge tunes hydrophobic self-assembly and receptor selectivity of FG sequences.

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Cotranslational folding allows misfolding-prone proteins to circumvent deep kinetic traps

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1913207117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (3) ◽

pp. 1485-1495 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Amir Bitran ◽

William M. Jacobs ◽

Xiadi Zhai ◽

Eugene Shakhnovich

Keyword(s):

Self Assembly ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Folding Kinetics ◽

Rare Codons ◽

Cotranslational Folding ◽

Nascent Chain ◽

Kinetic Traps ◽

Optimal Window

Many large proteins suffer from slow or inefficient folding in vitro. It has long been known that this problem can be alleviated in vivo if proteins start folding cotranslationally. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this improvement have not been well established. To address this question, we use an all-atom simulation-based algorithm to compute the folding properties of various large protein domains as a function of nascent chain length. We find that for certain proteins, there exists a narrow window of lengths that confers both thermodynamic stability and fast folding kinetics. Beyond these lengths, folding is drastically slowed by nonnative interactions involving C-terminal residues. Thus, cotranslational folding is predicted to be beneficial because it allows proteins to take advantage of this optimal window of lengths and thus avoid kinetic traps. Interestingly, many of these proteins’ sequences contain conserved rare codons that may slow down synthesis at this optimal window, suggesting that synthesis rates may be evolutionarily tuned to optimize folding. Using kinetic modeling, we show that under certain conditions, such a slowdown indeed improves cotranslational folding efficiency by giving these nascent chains more time to fold. In contrast, other proteins are predicted not to benefit from cotranslational folding due to a lack of significant nonnative interactions, and indeed these proteins’ sequences lack conserved C-terminal rare codons. Together, these results shed light on the factors that promote proper protein folding in the cell and how biomolecular self-assembly may be optimized evolutionarily.

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Intercalating pyrene with polypeptide as a novel self-assembly nano-carrier for colon cancer suppression in vitro and in vivo

Materials Science and Engineering C ◽

10.1016/j.msec.2019.110593 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 109 ◽

pp. 110593

Author(s):

Pei-Ying Lo ◽

Guang-Yu Lee ◽

Jia-Huei Zheng ◽

Jen-Hsien Huang ◽

Er-Chieh Cho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colon Cancer ◽

Self Assembly ◽

Cancer Suppression

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Self-Assembled Casein Nanoparticles Loading Triptolide for the Enhancement of Oral Bioavailability

Natural Product Communications ◽

10.1177/1934578x20948352 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (8) ◽

pp. 1934578X2094835

Author(s):

Chengxia Liu ◽

Ting-ting Jiang ◽

Zhi-xiang Yuan ◽

Yu Lu

Keyword(s):

Self Assembly ◽

Oral Bioavailability ◽

In Vitro Release ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Entrapment Efficiency ◽

Infrared Spectrometry ◽

Scanning Calorimetry ◽

Insoluble Drugs

Triptolide (TP), a broad-spectrum antitumor drug, has very poor solubility and oral bioavailability, which limits its clinical use. Compared with conventional formulations of TP, a casein (Cas)-based drug delivery system has been reported to have significant advantages for the improvement of solubility and bioavailability of insoluble drugs. In this paper, we report the successful preparation of TP-loaded Cas nanoparticles (TP-Cas) using the self-assembly characteristics of Cas in water and the optimization of the formulation by evaluation of entrapment efficiency (EE) and loading efficiency (LE). Dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was adopted to characterize the TP-Cas. Results showed that the obtained TP-Cas were approximately spherical with a particle size of 128.7 ± 11.5 nm, EE of 72.7 ± 4.7 %, and LE of 8.0% ± 0.5%. Furthermore, in vitro release behavior of TP-Cas in PBS (pH = 7.4) was also evaluated, showing a sustained-release profile. Additionally, an in vivo study in rats displayed that the mean plasma concentration of TP after oral administration of TP-Cas was significantly higher than that treated with TP oral suspension. The C max value for TP-Cas (8.0 ± 4.4 μg/mL) was significantly increased compared with the free TP (0.9 ± 0.3 μg/mL). Accordingly, the area under the curve (AUC0-8) of TP-Cas was 2.8 ± 0.8 mg/L·h, 4.3-fold higher than that of TP suspension (0.6 ± 0.1 mg/L·h). Therefore, it can be concluded that TP-Cas enhanced the absorption and improved oral bioavailability of TP. Taking the good oral safety of Cas into consideration, TP-Cas should be a more promising preparation of TP for clinical application.

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