Ultrasmall Peptides Self-Assemble into Diverse Nanostructures: Morphological Evaluation and Potential Implications

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Anupama Lakshmanan¹ 

[1] Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos 138669, Singapore; E-Mail

关键词: ultrasmall peptides;    self-assembly;    bioengineering;    nanotechnology;    supramolecular structures;    origin of life;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms12095736

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

In this study, we perform a morphological evaluation of the diverse nanostructures formed by varying concentration and amino acid sequence of a unique class of ultrasmall self-assembling peptides. We modified these peptides by replacing the aliphatic amino acid at the C-aliphatic terminus with different aromatic amino acids. We tracked the effect of introducing aromatic residues on self-assembly and morphology of resulting nanostructures. Whereas aliphatic peptides formed long, helical fibers that entangle into meshes and entrap >99.9% water, the modified peptides contrastingly formed short, straight fibers with a flat morphology. No helical fibers were observed for the modified peptides. For the aliphatic peptides at low concentrations, different supramolecular assemblies such as hollow nanospheres and membrane blebs were found. Since the ultrasmall peptides are made of simple, aliphatic amino acids, considered to have existed in the primordial soup, study of these supramolecular assemblies could be relevant to understanding chemical evolution leading to the origin of life on Earth. In particular, we propose a variety of potential applications in bioengineering and nanotechnology for the diverse self-assembled nanostructures.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.