Dual self-assembly of supramolecular peptide nanotubes to provide stabilisation in water.

Rho, Julia Y; Cox, Henry; Mansfield, Edward D H; Ellacott, Sean H; Peltier, Raoul; Brendel, Johannes C; Hartlieb, Matthias; Waigh, Thomas A et al. · Nat Commun · 2019

basic_science · Level V

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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.

Medical subject headings