Toroidal Nanostructures from Self-Assembly of Block Copolypeptides Based on Poly(L -Arginine) and β-Sheet Peptide

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-beom Lim ◽  
Eunji Lee ◽  
Myongsoo Lee
Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4239
Author(s):  
Pezhman Mohammadi ◽  
Fabian Zemke ◽  
Wolfgang Wagermaier ◽  
Markus B. Linder

Macromolecular assembly into complex morphologies and architectural shapes is an area of fundamental research and technological innovation. In this work, we investigate the self-assembly process of recombinantly produced protein inspired by spider silk (spidroin). To elucidate the first steps of the assembly process, we examined highly concentrated and viscous pendant droplets of this protein in air. We show how the protein self-assembles and crystallizes at the water–air interface into a relatively thick and highly elastic skin. Using time-resolved in situ synchrotron X-ray scattering measurements during the drying process, we showed that the skin evolved to contain a high β-sheet amount over time. We also found that β-sheet formation strongly depended on protein concentration and relative humidity. These had a strong influence not only on the amount, but also on the ordering of these structures during the β-sheet formation process. We also showed how the skin around pendant droplets can serve as a reservoir for attaining liquid–liquid phase separation and coacervation from the dilute protein solution. Essentially, this study shows a new assembly route which could be optimized for the synthesis of new materials from a dilute protein solution and determine the properties of the final products.


ChemInform ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P. W. Davies ◽  
Amalia Aggeli ◽  
Neville Boden ◽  
Tom C. B. McLeish ◽  
Irena A. Nyrkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

ChemInform ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (36) ◽  
pp. no-no
Author(s):  
Charles J. Bowerman ◽  
Bradley L. Nilsson
Keyword(s):  

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (15) ◽  
pp. 3781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomonori Waku ◽  
Saki Nishigaki ◽  
Yuichi Kitagawa ◽  
Sayaka Koeda ◽  
Kazufumi Kawabata ◽  
...  

Recently, nanofibers (NFs) formed from antigenic peptides conjugated to β-sheet-forming peptides have attracted much attention as a new generation of vaccines. However, studies describing how the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance of NF components affects cellular interactions of NFs are limited. In this report, three different NFs were prepared by self-assembly of β-sheet-forming peptides conjugated with model antigenic peptides (SIINFEKL) from ovalbumin and hydrophilic oligo-ethylene glycol (EG) of differing chain lengths (6-, 12- and 24-mer) to investigate the effect of EG length of antigen-loaded NFs on their cellular uptake, cytotoxicity, and dendritic cell (DC)-stimulation ability. We used an immortal DC line, termed JAWS II, derived from bone marrow-derived DCs of a C57BL/6 p53-knockout mouse. The uptake of NFs, consisting of the EG 12-mer by DCs, was the most effective and activated DC without exhibiting significant cytotoxicity. Increasing the EG chain length significantly reduced cellular entry and DC activation by NFs. Conversely, shortening the EG chain enhanced DC activation but increased toxicity and impaired water-dispersibility, resulting in low cellular uptake. These results show that the interaction of antigen-loaded NFs with cells can be tuned by the EG length, which provides useful design guidelines for the development of effective NF-based vaccines.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Y. Rho ◽  
Henry Cox ◽  
Edward D. H. Mansfield ◽  
Sean H. Ellacott ◽  
Raoul Peltier ◽  
...  

Abstract Self-assembling peptides have the ability to spontaneously aggregate into large ordered structures. The reversibility of the peptide hydrogen bonded supramolecular assembly make them tunable to a host of different applications, although it leaves them highly dynamic and prone to disassembly at the low concentration needed for biological applications. Here we demonstrate that a secondary hydrophobic interaction, near the peptide core, can stabilise the highly dynamic peptide bonds, without losing the vital solubility of the systems in aqueous conditions. This hierarchical self-assembly process can be used to stabilise a range of different β-sheet hydrogen bonded architectures.


2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (16) ◽  
pp. E1994-E2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serene W. Chen ◽  
Srdja Drakulic ◽  
Emma Deas ◽  
Myriam Ouberai ◽  
Francesco A. Aprile ◽  
...  

We describe the isolation and detailed structural characterization of stable toxic oligomers of α-synuclein that have accumulated during the process of amyloid formation. Our approach has allowed us to identify distinct subgroups of oligomers and to probe their molecular architectures by using cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) image reconstruction techniques. Although the oligomers exist in a range of sizes, with different extents and nature of β-sheet content and exposed hydrophobicity, they all possess a hollow cylindrical architecture with similarities to certain types of amyloid fibril, suggesting that the accumulation of at least some forms of amyloid oligomers is likely to be a consequence of very slow rates of rearrangement of their β-sheet structures. Our findings reveal the inherent multiplicity of the process of protein misfolding and the key role the β-sheet geometry acquired in the early stages of the self-assembly process plays in dictating the kinetic stability and the pathological nature of individual oligomeric species.


2018 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 533-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehud Gazit

The formation of ordered nanostructures by molecular self-assembly of proteins and peptides represents one of the principal directions in nanotechnology. Indeed, polyamides provide superior features as materials with diverse physical properties. A reductionist approach allowed the identification of extremely short peptide sequences, as short as dipeptides, which could form well-ordered amyloid-like β-sheet-rich assemblies comparable to supramolecular structures made of much larger proteins. Some of the peptide assemblies show remarkable mechanical, optical, and electrical characteristics. Another direction of reductionism utilized a natural noncoded amino acid, α-aminoisobutryic acid, to form short superhelical assemblies. The use of this exceptional helix inducer motif allowed the fabrication of single heptad repeats used in various biointerfaces, including their use as surfactants and DNA-binding agents. Two additional directions of the reductionist approach include the use of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) and coassembly techniques. The diversified accomplishments of the reductionist approach, as well as the exciting future advances it bears, are discussed.


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 2316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuchen Zheng ◽  
Micheal T. Kebede ◽  
Merc M. Kemeh ◽  
Saadman Islam ◽  
Bethany Lee ◽  
...  

The amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide and tau protein are thought to play key neuropathogenic roles in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Both Aβ and tau self-assemble to form the two major pathological hallmarks of AD: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, respectively. In this review, we show that naturally occurring polyphenols abundant in fruits, vegetables, red wine, and tea possess the ability to target pathways associated with the formation of assemblies of Aβ and tau. Polyphenols modulate the enzymatic processing of the amyloid-β precursor protein and inhibit toxic Aβ oligomerization by enhancing the clearance of Aβ42 monomer, modulating monomer–monomer interactions and remodeling oligomers to non-toxic forms. Additionally, polyphenols modulate tau hyperphosphorylation and inhibit tau β-sheet formation. The anti-Aβ-self-assembly and anti-tau-self-assembly effects of polyphenols increase their potential as preventive or therapeutic agents against AD, a complex disease that involves many pathological mechanisms.


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