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Mayer BK, Hutchison JM, McLamore ES, Torres M, Venkiteshwaran K. Phosphate-binding proteins and peptides: from molecular mechanisms to potential applications. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2024; 90:103199. [PMID: 39276616 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2024] [Revised: 08/28/2024] [Accepted: 08/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/17/2024]
Abstract
Selective binding of phosphate is vital to multiple aims including phosphate transport into cells and phosphate-targeted applications such as adsorption-based water treatment and sensing. High-affinity phosphate-binding proteins and peptides offer a nature-inspired means of efficiently binding and separating phosphate from complex matrices. The binding protein PstS is characterized by a Venus flytrap topology that confers exceptional phosphate affinity and selectivity, and is effective even at low phosphate concentrations, all of which are essential for applications such as phosphate sensing, removal, and recovery. The binding event is reversible under controlled conditions, making it germane to catch-and-release objectives that advance phosphorus sustainability. Peptides such as the P loop motif are also promising for such applications. Future advances in protein/peptide design can contribute to increased implementation in engineered systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke K Mayer
- Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
| | - Justin M Hutchison
- Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Eric S McLamore
- Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA; Agricultural Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Maria Torres
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Kaushik Venkiteshwaran
- Department of Civil, Coastal and Environmental Engineering, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
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2
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Fowler W, Deng C, Teodoro OT, de Pablo JJ, Tirrell MV. Synthetic and Computational Design Insights toward Mimicking Protein Binding of Phosphate. Bioconjug Chem 2024; 35:300-311. [PMID: 38377539 PMCID: PMC10962344 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
The unique and precise capabilities of proteins are renowned for their specificity and range of application. Effective mimicking of protein-binding offers enticing potential to direct their abilities toward useful applications, but it is nevertheless quite difficult to realize this characteristic of protein behavior in a synthetic material. Here, we design, synthesize, and evaluate experimentally and computationally a series of multicomponent phosphate-binding peptide amphiphile micelles to derive design insights into how protein binding behavior translates to synthetic materials. By inserting the Walker A P-loop binding motif into this peptide synthetic material, we successfully implemented the protein-binding design parameters of hydrogen-bonding and electrostatic interaction to bind phosphate completely and selectively in this highly tunable synthetic platform. Moreover, in this densely arrayed peptide environment, we use molecular dynamics simulations to identify an intriguing mechanistic shift of binding that is inaccessible in traditional proteins, introducing two corresponding new design elements─flexibility and minimization of the loss of entropy due to ion binding, in protein-analogous synthetic materials. We then translate these new design factors to de novo peptide sequences that bind phosphate independent of protein-extracted sequence or conformation. Overall, this work reveals that traditional complex conformational restrictions of binding by proteins can be replaced and repurposed in a multicomponent peptide amphiphile synthetic material, opening up opportunities for future enhanced protein-inspired design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whitney
C. Fowler
- Pritzker
School of Molecular Engineering, University
of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Chuting Deng
- Pritzker
School of Molecular Engineering, University
of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - O. Therese Teodoro
- Pritzker
School of Molecular Engineering, University
of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Juan J. de Pablo
- Pritzker
School of Molecular Engineering, University
of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Argonne
National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Matthew V. Tirrell
- Pritzker
School of Molecular Engineering, University
of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Argonne
National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
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3
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Jia C, Chi J, Zhang W. Adsorption effects and mechanisms of phosphorus by nanosized laponite. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 331:138684. [PMID: 37059202 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Phosphorus (P), an important macroelement for crops, may be lost into water systems by human activities and subsequently cause serious environmental problems such as eutrophication. Thus, the recovery of P from wastewater is essential. P can be adsorbed and recovered from wastewater using many natural, environmentally friendly clay minerals, however the adsorption ability is limited. Here we applied a synthesis nanosized clay mineral, laponite, to evaluate the P adsorption ability and molecular mechanisms of the adsorption process. We apply X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) to observe the adsorption of inorganic phosphate onto laponite, and then measure the adsorption content of phosphate by laponite via batch experiments in different solution conditions, including pH, ionic species and concentrations. Then the molecular mechanisms of adsorption are analyzed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and molecular modeling using Density Functional Theory (DFT). The results show that phosphate adsorbs to the surface and interlayer of laponite via hydrogen bonding, and the adsorption energies of the interlayer are greater than those of the surface. These bulk solution and molecular-scale results in a model system may provide new insights into the recovery of phosphorus by nanosized clay, with possible environmental engineering applications for P-pollution control and sustainable utilization of P sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chonghao Jia
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Jialin Chi
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Wenjun Zhang
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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Fowler WC, Deng C, Griffen GM, Teodoro OT, Guo AZ, Zaiden M, Gottlieb M, de Pablo JJ, Tirrell MV. Harnessing Peptide Binding to Capture and Reclaim Phosphate. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:4440-4450. [PMID: 33721492 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c01241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
With rising consumer demands, society is tapping into wastewater as an innovative source to recycle depleting resources. Novel reclamation technologies have been recently explored for this purpose, including several that optimize natural biological processes for targeted reclamation. However, this emerging field has a noticeable dearth of synthetic material technologies that are programmed to capture, release, and recycle specified targets; and of the novel materials that do exist, synthetic platforms incorporating biologically inspired mechanisms are rare. We present here a prototype of a materials platform utilizing peptide amphiphiles that has been molecularly engineered to sequester, release, and reclaim phosphate through a stimuli-responsive pH trigger, exploiting a protein-inspired binding mechanism that is incorporated directly into the self-assembled material network. This material is able to harvest and controllably release phosphate for multiple cycles of reuse, and it is selective over nitrate and nitrite. We have determined by simulations that the binding conformation of the peptide becomes constrained in the dense micelle corona at high pH such that phosphate is expelled when it otherwise would be preferentially bound. However, at neutral pH, this dense structure conversely employs multichain binding to further stabilize phosphate when it would otherwise be unbound, opening opportunities for higher-order conformational binding design to be engineered into this controllably packed corona. With this work, we are pioneering a new platform to be readily altered to capture other valuable targets, presenting a new class of capture and release materials for recycling resources on the nanoscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whitney C Fowler
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Chuting Deng
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Gabriella M Griffen
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - O. Therese Teodoro
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Ashley Z Guo
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Michal Zaiden
- Chemical Engineering Department, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva 841050, Israel
| | - Moshe Gottlieb
- Chemical Engineering Department, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva 841050, Israel
| | - Juan J de Pablo
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Matthew V Tirrell
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
- Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
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Zhai H, Zhang W, Wang L, Putnis CV. Dynamic force spectroscopy for quantifying single-molecule organo–mineral interactions. CrystEngComm 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d0ce00949k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Organo–mineral interactions have long been the focus in the fields of biomineralization and geomineralization, since such interactions not only modulate the dynamics of crystal nucleation and growth but may also change crystal phases, morphologies, and structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Zhai
- College of Resources and Environment
- Huazhong Agricultural University
- Wuhan 430070
- China
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
| | - Wenjun Zhang
- College of Resources and Environment
- Huazhong Agricultural University
- Wuhan 430070
- China
| | - Lijun Wang
- College of Resources and Environment
- Huazhong Agricultural University
- Wuhan 430070
- China
| | - Christine V. Putnis
- Institut für Mineralogie
- University of Münster
- 48149 Münster
- Germany
- School of Molecular and Life Science
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Zhai H, Bernstein R, Nir O, Wang L. Molecular insight into the interfacial chemical functionalities regulating heterogeneous calcium-arsenate nucleation. J Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 575:464-471. [PMID: 32402825 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.04.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Heterogeneous nucleation induced by natural organic matter (NOM) can lower the energy barrier for calcium arsenate (Ca-As) precipitation, which aids in immobilizing arsenate (AsⅤ). However, it remains unclear how certain chemical functionalities of NOM affect Ca-As nucleation at the molecular scale. By analyzing changes in the local supersaturation and/or interfacial energy, the present work investigates the Ca-As heterogeneous nucleation kinetics and mechanisms on functional-group-modified model surfaces. Mica surfaces modified by functional groups of amine (NH2), hydroxyl (OH), or carboxyl (COOH) through self-assembled monolayers were used to investigate how chemical functionalities affect the Ca-As heterogeneous nucleation, in which the distributions of formation kinetics and size (as measured by the change in particle height) of nucleated Ca-As particles were measured by using in situ atomic force microscopy. In a parallel analysis, a quartz-crystal microbalance with dissipation was used to detect the buildup of Ca2+ and/or HAsO42- ions at the solid-fluid interface. PeakForce quantitative nanomechanical mapping and dynamic force spectroscopy using functional-group-modified tips made it possible to calculate the binding energies holding functional groups to Ca-As particles. Nucleated Ca-As particles were characterized by using Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that the height of amorphous Ca-As particles formed on a modified mica surface may be ranked in descending order as NH2 > OH > bare mica > COOH, as determined by the buildup of Ca2+ and HAsO42- ions at the solid-fluid interface and the decrease of interfacial energy due to the functional groups. These nanoscale observations and molecular-scale determinations improve our understanding of the roles played by chemical functionalities on NOM in immobilizing dissolved As through heterogeneous nucleation in soil and water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Zhai
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Department of Desalination and Water Treatment, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede-Boqer Campus 84990, Israel
| | - Roy Bernstein
- Department of Desalination and Water Treatment, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede-Boqer Campus 84990, Israel.
| | - Oded Nir
- Department of Desalination and Water Treatment, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede-Boqer Campus 84990, Israel
| | - Lijun Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
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Wang L, Putnis CV. Dissolution and Precipitation Dynamics at Environmental Mineral Interfaces Imaged by In Situ Atomic Force Microscopy. Acc Chem Res 2020; 53:1196-1205. [PMID: 32441501 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.0c00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Chemical reactions at the mineral-solution interface control important interfacial processes, such as geochemical element cycling, nutrient recovery from eutrophicated waters, sequestration of toxic contaminants, and geological carbon storage by mineral carbonation. By time-resolved in situ imaging of nanoscale mineral interfacial reactions, it is possible to clarify the mechanisms governing mineral-fluid reactions.In this Account, we present a concise summary of this topic that addresses a current challenge at the frontier of understanding mineral interfaces and their importance to a wide range of mineral re-equilibration processes in the presence of a fluid aqueous phase. We have used real-time nanoscale imaging of liquid-cell atomic force microscopy (AFM) to observe the in situ coupling of the dissolution-precipitation process, whereby the dissolution of a parent mineral phase is coupled at mineral interfaces with the precipitation of another product phase, chemically different from the parent. These nanoscale observations allow for the identification of dissolution and growth rates through systematically investigating various minerals, including calcite (CaCO3), siderite (FeCO3), cerussite (PbCO3), magnesite (MgCO3), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2), brushite (CaHPO4·2H2O), brucite (Mg(OH)2), portlandite (Ca(OH)2), and goethite (α-FeOOH), in various reacting aqueous fluids containing solution species, such as arsenic, phosphate, organo- or pyrophosphate, CO2, selenium, lead, cadmium, iron, chromium, and antimony. We detected the in situ replacement of these parent mineral phases by product phases, identified through a variety of analytical methods such as Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and various X-ray techniques, as well as modeling by geochemical simulation using PHREEQC. As a consequence of the coupled processes, sequestration of toxic elements and hazardous species and inorganic and organic carbon, and limiting or promoting recovery of nutrients can be achieved at nano- and macroscopic scales.We also used in situ AFM to quantitatively measure the retreat rates of molecular steps and directly observe the morphology changes of dissolution etch pits on calcium phosphates in organic acid solutions present in most rhizosphere environments. By molecular modeling using density functional theory (DFT), we explain the origin of dissolution etch pit evolution through specific stereochemistry and molecular recognition and provide an energetic basis by calculating the binding energies of chemical functionalities on organic acids to direction-specific steps on mineral surfaces. In addition, we further quantified precipitation kinetics of calcium phosphates (Ca-P's) on typical mineral surfaces at the nanoscale in environmentally relevant solutions with various organic molecules, by measurements obtained from sequential images obtained by liquid-cell AFM. In situ dynamic force spectroscopy (DFS) was used to determine binding energies of single-molecules with different chemical functionalities found in natural organic matter at mineral-fluid interfaces. Quantifying molecular organo-mineral bonding or binding energies mechanistically explains phosphate precipitation and transformation. From DFS measurements, molecular-scale interactions of mineral-natural organic matter (DNA, proteins, and polysaccharides) associations were determined. With this powerful tool, single-molecule determinations of polysaccharide-amorphous iron oxide or hematite interactions provided the mechanistic origin of the phase- or facet-dependent adsorption. These systematic investigations and findings significantly contribute to a more quantitative prediction of the fate of nutrients and contaminants, chemical element cycling, and potential geological carbon capture and nuclear waste storage in aqueous environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Christine V. Putnis
- Institut für Mineralogie, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
- School of Molecular and Life Science, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
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Zhai H, Wang L, Putnis CV. Molecular-Scale Investigations Reveal Noncovalent Bonding Underlying the Adsorption of Environmental DNA on Mica. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:11251-11259. [PMID: 31478650 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b04064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mineral-soil organic matter (SOM including DNA, proteins, and polysaccharides) associations formed through various interactions, play a key role in regulating long-term SOM preservation. The mechanisms underlying DNA-mineral and DNA-protein/polysaccharide interactions at nanometer and molecular scales in environmentally relevant solutions remain uncertain. Here, we present a model mineral-SOM system consisting of mineral (mica)-nucleic acid (environmental DNA, eDNA)/protein (bovine serum albumin)/polysaccharide (alginate), and combine atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based dynamic force spectroscopy and PeakForce quantitative nanomechanical mapping using DNA-decorated tips. Single-molecule binding and adhesion force of eDNA to mineral and to mineral adsorbed by protein/polysaccharide reveal the noncovalent bonds and that systematically changing ion compositions, ionic strength, and pH result in significant differences in organic-organic and organic-mineral binding energies. Consistent with the bond-strength measurements, protein, rather than polysaccharide, promotes mineral-bound DNA molecules by ex situ AFM deposition observations in relatively high concentrations of divalent cation-containing acidic solutions. These molecular-scale determinations and nanoscale observations should substantially improve our understanding of how environmental factors influence the organic-mineral interfacial interactions through the synergy of collective noncovalent and/or covalent bonds in mineral-organic associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Zhai
- College of Resources and Environment , Huazhong Agricultural University , Wuhan 430070 , China
| | - Lijun Wang
- College of Resources and Environment , Huazhong Agricultural University , Wuhan 430070 , China
| | - Christine V Putnis
- Institut für Mineralogie , University of Münster , 48149 Münster , Germany
- Department of Chemistry , Curtin University , Perth 6845 , Australia
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