Rational Design of Peptide-Based Biosupramolecular Systems

Atomic Force Microscopy Characterization of Protein Fibrils Formed by the Amyloidogenic Region of the Bacterial Protein MinE on Mica and a Supported Lipid Bilayer

Amyloid fibrils play a crucial role in many human diseases and are found to function in a range of physiological processes from bacteria to human. They have also been gaining importance in nanotechnology applications. Understanding the mechanisms behind amyloid formation can help develop strategies towards the prevention of fibrillation processes or create new technological applications. It is thus essential to observe the structures of amyloids and their self-assembly processes at the nanometer-scale resolution under physiological conditions. In this work, we used highly force-sensitive frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM) to characterize the fibril structures formed by the N-terminal domain of a bacterial division protein MinE in solution. The approach enables us to investigate the fibril morphology and protofibril organization over time progression and in response to changes in ionic strength, molecular crowding, and upon association with different substrate surfaces. In addition to comparison of the fibril structure and behavior of MinE1-31 under varying conditions, the study also broadens our understanding of the versatile behavior of amyloid-substrate surface interactions.

Applications of self-assembling peptide scaffolds in regenerative medicine: the way to the clinic

Peptides that self-assemble into well-defined nanofibrous networks provide a prominent alternative to traditional biomaterials for fabricating scaffolds for use in regenerative medicine and other biomedical applications. Such scaffolds can be generated by decorating a peptide backbone with other bioactives such as cell specific adhesion peptides, growth factors and enzyme cleavable sequences. They can be designed to mimic the three-dimensional (3D) structural features of native ECM and can therefore also provide insight into the ECM-cell interactions needed for development of scaffolds that can serve as regeneration templates for specific target tissues or organs. This review highlights the potential application of self-assembling peptides in regenerative medicine.