1
|
Zheng R, Zhao M, Du JS, Sudarshan TR, Zhou Y, Paravastu AK, De Yoreo JJ, Ferguson AL, Chen CL. Assembly of short amphiphilic peptoids into nanohelices with controllable supramolecular chirality. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3264. [PMID: 38627405 PMCID: PMC11021492 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46839-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
A long-standing challenge in bioinspired materials is to design and synthesize synthetic materials that mimic the sophisticated structures and functions of natural biomaterials, such as helical protein assemblies that are important in biological systems. Herein, we report the formation of a series of nanohelices from a type of well-developed protein-mimetics called peptoids. We demonstrate that nanohelix structures and supramolecular chirality can be well-controlled through the side-chain chemistry. Specifically, the ionic effects on peptoids from varying the polar side-chain groups result in the formation of either single helical fiber or hierarchically stacked helical bundles. We also demonstrate that the supramolecular chirality of assembled peptoid helices can be controlled by modifying assembling peptoids with a single chiral amino acid side chain. Computational simulations and theoretical modeling predict that minimizing exposure of hydrophobic domains within a twisted helical form presents the most thermodynamically favorable packing of these amphiphilic peptoids and suggests a key role for both polar and hydrophobic domains on nanohelix formation. Our findings establish a platform to design and synthesize chiral functional materials using sequence-defined synthetic polymers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Renyu Zheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
| | - Mingfei Zhao
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Jingshan S Du
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
| | - Tarunya Rao Sudarshan
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Yicheng Zhou
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
| | - Anant K Paravastu
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - James J De Yoreo
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA
- Department of Materials Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Andrew L Ferguson
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Chun-Long Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Heble AY, Chen CL. Access to Advanced Functional Materials through Postmodification of Biomimetic Assemblies via Click Chemistry. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:1391-1407. [PMID: 38422548 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The design, synthesis, and fabrication of functional nanomaterials with specific properties remain a long-standing goal for many scientific fields. The self-assembly of sequence-defined biomimetic synthetic polymers presents a fundamental strategy to explore the chemical space beyond biological systems to create advanced nanomaterials. Moreover, subsequent chemical modification of existing nanostructures is a unique approach for accessing increasingly complex nanostructures and introducing functionalities. Of these modifications, covalent conjugation chemistries, such as the click reactions, have been the cornerstone for chemists and materials scientists. Herein, we highlight some recent advances that have successfully employed click chemistries for the postmodification of assembled one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures to achieve applications in molecular recognition, mineralization, and optoelectronics. Specifically, biomimetic nanomaterials assembled from sequence-defined macromolecules such as peptides and peptoids are described.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Annie Y Heble
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Chun-Long Chen
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhao M, Zhang S, Zheng R, Alamdari S, Mundy CJ, Pfaendtner J, Pozzo LD, Chen CL, De Yoreo JJ, Ferguson AL. Computational and Experimental Determination of the Properties, Structure, and Stability of Peptoid Nanosheets and Nanotubes. Biomacromolecules 2023. [PMID: 37141445 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Peptoids (N-substituted glycines) are a group of highly controllable peptidomimetic polymers. Amphiphilic diblock peptoids have been engineered to assemble crystalline nanospheres, nanofibrils, nanosheets, and nanotubes with biochemical, biomedical, and bioengineering applications. The mechanical properties of peptoid nanoaggregates and their relationship to the emergent self-assembled morphologies have been relatively unexplored and are critical for the rational design of peptoid nanomaterials. In this work, we consider a family of amphiphilic diblock peptoids consisting of a prototypical tube-former (Nbrpm6Nc6, a NH2-capped hydrophobic block of six N-((4-bromophenyl)methyl)glycine residues conjugated to a polar NH3(CH2)5CO tail), a prototypical sheet-former (Nbrpe6Nc6, where the hydrophobic block comprises six N-((4-bromophenyl)ethyl)glycine residues), and an intermediate sequence that forms mixed structures ((NbrpeNbrpm)3Nc6). We combine all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and atomic force microscopy to determine the mechanical properties of the self-assembled 2D crystalline nanosheets and relate these properties to the observed self-assembled morphologies. We find good agreement between our computational predictions and experimental measurements of Young's modulus of crystalline nanosheets. A computational analysis of the bending modulus along the two axes of the planar crystalline nanosheets reveals bending to be more favorable along the axis in which the peptoids stack by interdigitation of the side chains compared to that in which they form columnar crystals with π-stacked side chains. We construct molecular models of nanotubes of the Nbrpm6Nc6 tube-forming peptoid and predict a stability optimum in good agreement with experimental measurements. A theoretical model of nanotube stability suggests that this optimum is a free energy minimum corresponding to a "Goldilocks" tube radius at which capillary wave fluctuations in the tube wall are minimized.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mingfei Zhao
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Shuai Zhang
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Renyu Zheng
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Sarah Alamdari
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Christopher J Mundy
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Jim Pfaendtner
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Lilo D Pozzo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Chun-Long Chen
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - James J De Yoreo
- Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Andrew L Ferguson
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
A mini-review on bio-inspired polymer self-assembly: single-component and interactive polymer systems. Emerg Top Life Sci 2022; 6:593-607. [PMID: 36254846 DOI: 10.1042/etls20220057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Biology demonstrates meticulous ways to control biomaterials self-assemble into ordered and disordered structures to carry out necessary bioprocesses. Empowering the synthetic polymers to self-assemble like biomaterials is a hallmark of polymer physics studies. Unlike protein engineering, polymer science demystifies self-assembly by purposely embedding particular functional groups into the backbone of the polymer while isolating others. The polymer field has now entered an era of advancing materials design by mimicking nature to a very large extend. For example, we can make sequence-specific polymers to study highly ordered mesostructures similar to studying proteins, and use charged polymers to study liquid-liquid phase separation as in membraneless organelles. This mini-review summarizes recent advances in studying self-assembly using bio-inspired strategies on single-component and multi-component systems. Sequence-defined techniques are used to make on-demand hybrid materials to isolate the effects of chirality and chemistry in synthetic block copolymer self-assembly. In the meantime, sequence patterning leads to more hierarchical assemblies comprised of only hydrophobic and hydrophilic comonomers. The second half of the review discusses complex coacervates formed as a result of the associative charge interactions of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. The tunable phase behavior and viscoelasticity are unique in studying liquid macrophase separation because the slow polymer relaxation comes primarily from charge interactions. Studies of bio-inspired polymer self-assembly significantly impact how we optimize user-defined materials on a molecular level.
Collapse
|