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Oktawiec J, Ebrahim OM, Chen Y, Su K, Sharpe C, Rosenmann ND, Barbut C, Weigand SJ, Thompson MP, Byrnes J, Qiao B, Gianneschi NC. Conformational modulation and polymerization-induced folding of proteomimetic peptide brush polymers. Chem Sci 2024:d4sc03420a. [PMID: 39129772 PMCID: PMC11308386 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc03420a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Peptide-brush polymers generated by graft-through living polymerization of peptide-modified monomers exhibit high proteolytic stability, therapeutic efficacy, and potential as functional tandem repeat protein mimetics. Prior work has focused on polymers generated from structurally disordered peptides that lack defined conformations. To obtain insight into how the structure of these polymers is influenced by the folding of their peptide sidechains, a set of polymers with varying degrees of polymerization was prepared from peptide monomers that adopt α-helical secondary structure for comparison to those having random coil structures. Circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy confirm the maintenance of the secondary structure of the constituent peptide when polymerized. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) studies reveal the solution-phase conformation of PLPs in different solvent environments. In particular, X-ray scattering shows that modulation of solvent hydrophobicity, as well as hydrogen bonding patterns of the peptide sidechain, plays an important role in the degree of globularity and conformation of the overall polymer, with polymers of helical peptide brushes showing less spherical compaction in conditions where greater helicity is observed. These structural insights into peptide brush folding and polymer conformation inform the design of these proteomimetic materials with promise for controlling and predicting their artificial fold and morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Oktawiec
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University Evanston IL 60208 USA
| | - Omar M Ebrahim
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University Evanston IL 60208 USA
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University Evanston IL 60208 USA
| | - Kaylen Su
- Department of Natural Sciences, Baruch College, City University of New York New York NY 10010 USA
| | - Christopher Sharpe
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University Evanston IL 60208 USA
| | - Nathan D Rosenmann
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University Evanston IL 60208 USA
| | - Clara Barbut
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University Evanston IL 60208 USA
| | - Steven J Weigand
- DuPont-Northwestern-Dow Collaborative Access Team (DND-CAT) Synchrotron Research Center, Northwestern University Argonne IL 60208 USA
| | | | - James Byrnes
- Beamline 16ID, NSLS-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton NY 11973 USA
| | - Baofu Qiao
- Department of Natural Sciences, Baruch College, City University of New York New York NY 10010 USA
| | - Nathan C Gianneschi
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University Evanston IL 60208 USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University Evanston IL 60208 USA
- International Institute for Nanotechnology, Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Simpson Querrey Institute, Lurie Cancer Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Evanston IL 60208 USA
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Polanowski P, Jeszka JK, Matyjaszewski K. Crosslinking and Gelation of Polymer Brushes and Free Polymer Chains in a Confined Space during Controlled Radical Polymerization─A Computer Simulation Study. Macromolecules 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c02342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
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Turksen-Selcuk S, Rosu C, Blake A, Soto-Cantu E, Qiu J, Wu Y, DiTusa JF, Steffens A, Russo PS. Organophilic, Superparamagnetic, and Reversibly Thermoresponsive Silica-Polypeptide Core-Shell Particles. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:14248-14257. [PMID: 31644297 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b01931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Particles with a superparamagnetic cobalt inner core, silica outer core, and covalently bound homopolypeptide shell were investigated under thermal and magnetic stimuli. The homopolypeptide was poly(ε-carbobenzyloxy-l-lysine), PCBL, which is known to exhibit a thermoreversible coil ⇔ helix transition when dissolved as a pure polymer in m-cresol. Tethering to a core particle did not prevent PCBL from undergoing this conformational transition, as confirmed by dynamic light scattering and optical rotation, but the transition was broadened compared to that of the untethered polymer. The Co@SiO2-PCBL hybrid particles retained the superparamagnetic properties of the cobalt inner nougat. Indeed, some response remains even after aging for >5 years. The aged PCBL shell also preserved its responsiveness to temperature, although differences in the shape of the size vs temperature transition curve were observed compared to the freshly made particles. A reversible coil ⇔ helix transition for a particle-bound polypeptide in a pure organic solvent is rare. In addition to providing a convenient tool for characterizing coil ⇔ helix transitions for surface-bound polypeptides without interference from pH or the strong ionic forces that dominate behavior in aqueous systems, the Co@SiO2-PCBL/m-cresol system may prove useful in studies of the effect of shell polymer conformation on colloid interactions. The stability of the magnetic core and polypeptide shell suggest a long shelf life for Co@SiO2-PCBL, which can, in principle, be deprotected to yield positively charged Co@SiO2-poly(l-lysine) particles for possible transfection or antimicrobial applications or chained magnetically to produce responsive poly(colloids).
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Formoso P, Pantuso E, De Filpo G, Nicoletta FP. Electro-Conductive Membranes for Permeation Enhancement and Fouling Mitigation: A Short Review. MEMBRANES 2017; 7:E39. [PMID: 28788091 PMCID: PMC5618124 DOI: 10.3390/membranes7030039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Revised: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The research on electro-conductive membranes has expanded in recent years. These membranes have strong prospective as key components in next generation water treatment plants because they are engineered in order to enhance their performance in terms of separation, flux, fouling potential, and permselectivity. The present review summarizes recent developments in the preparation of electro-conductive membranes and the mechanisms of their response to external electric voltages in order to obtain an improvement in permeation and mitigation in the fouling growth. In particular, this paper deals with the properties of electro-conductive polymers and the preparation of electro-conductive polymer membranes with a focus on responsive membranes based on polyaniline, polypyrrole and carbon nanotubes. Then, some examples of electro-conductive membranes for permeation enhancement and fouling mitigation by electrostatic repulsion, hydrogen peroxide generation and electrochemical oxidation will be presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Formoso
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende (CS), Italy.
| | - Elvira Pantuso
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende (CS), Italy.
| | - Giovanni De Filpo
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende (CS), Italy.
| | - Fiore Pasquale Nicoletta
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, I-87036 Rende (CS), Italy.
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Marullo R, Kastantin M, Drews LB, Tirrell M. Peptide contour length determines equilibrium secondary structure in protein-analogous micelles. Biopolymers 2016; 99:573-81. [PMID: 23794370 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2012] [Accepted: 01/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
This work advances bottom-up design of bioinspired materials built from peptide-amphiphiles, which are a class of bioconjugates in which a biofunctional peptide is covalently attached to a hydrophobic moiety that drives self-assembly in aqueous solution. Specifically, this work highlights the importance of peptide contour length in determining the equilibrium secondary structure of the peptide as well as the self-assembled (i.e., micelle) geometry. Peptides used here repeat a seven-amino acid sequence between one and four times to vary peptide contour length while maintaining similar peptide-peptide interactions. Without a hydrophobic tail, these peptides all exhibit a combination of random coil and α-helical structure. Upon self-assembly in the crowded environment of a micellar corona, however, short peptides are prone to β-sheet structure and cylindrical micelle geometry while longer peptides remain helical in spheroidal micelles. The transition to β-sheets in short peptides is rapid, whereby amphiphiles first self-assemble with α-helical peptide structure, then transition to their equilibrium β-sheet structure at a rate that depends on both temperature and ionic strength. These results identify peptide contour length as an important control over equilibrium peptide secondary structure and micelle geometry. Furthermore, the time-dependent nature of the helix-to-sheet transition opens the door for shape-changing bioinspired materials with tunable conversion rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Marullo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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Zhang H, Qu C, He J. Cylindrical polymer brushes with dendritic side chains by iterative anionic reactions. POLYMER 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2015.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Crowding-induced cooperativity in DNA surface hybridization. Sci Rep 2015; 5:9217. [PMID: 25875056 PMCID: PMC5381746 DOI: 10.1038/srep09217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
High density DNA brush is not only used to model cellular crowding, but also has a wide application in DNA-functionalized materials. Experiments have shown complicated cooperative hybridization/melting phenomena in these systems, raising the question that how molecular crowding influences DNA hybridization. In this work, a theoretical modeling including all possible inter and intramolecular interactions, as well as molecular details for different species, is proposed. We find that molecular crowding can lead to two distinct cooperative behaviours: negatively cooperative hybridization marked by a broader transition width, and positively cooperative hybridization with a sharper transition, well reconciling the experimental findings. Moreover, a phase transition as a result of positive cooperativity is also found. Our study provides new insights in crowding and compartmentation in cell, and has the potential value in controlling surface morphologies of DNA functionalized nano-particles.
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Watkins HM, Simon AJ, Ricci F, Plaxco KW. Effects of crowding on the stability of a surface-tethered biopolymer: an experimental study of folding in a highly crowded regime. J Am Chem Soc 2014; 136:8923-7. [PMID: 24919057 PMCID: PMC4091282 DOI: 10.1021/ja411486g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
![]()
The high packing densities and fixed
geometries with which biomolecules
can be attached to macroscopic surfaces suggest that crowding effects
may be particularly significant under these often densely packed conditions.
Exploring this question experimentally, we report here the effects
of crowding on the stability of a simple, surface-attached DNA stem-loop.
We find that crowding by densely packed, folded biomolecules destabilizes
our test-bed biomolecule by ∼2 kJ/mol relative to the dilute
(noninteracting) regime, an effect that presumably occurs due to steric
and electrostatic repulsion arising from compact neighbors. Crowding
by a dense brush of unfolded biomolecules, in contrast, enhances its
stability by ∼6 kJ/mol, presumably due to excluded volume and
electrostatic effects that reduce the entropy of the unfolded state.
Finally, crowding by like copies of the same biomolecule produces
a significantly broader unfolding transition, likely because, under
these circumstances, the stabilizing effects of crowding by unfolded
molecules increase (and the destabilizing effects of neighboring folded
molecules decrease) as more and more neighbors unfold. The crowding
of surface-attached biomolecules may thus be a richer, more complex
phenomenon than that seen in homogeneous solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herschel M Watkins
- Interdepartmental Program in Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California at Santa Barbara , Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
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Ray JG, Johnson AJ, Savin DA. Self-assembly and responsiveness of polypeptide-based block copolymers: How “Smart” behavior and topological complexity yield unique assembly in aqueous media. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/polb.23259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Zhulina EB, Borisov OV. Theory of Block Polymer Micelles: Recent Advances and Current Challenges. Macromolecules 2012. [DOI: 10.1021/ma300195n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 187] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. B. Zhulina
- Institute
of Macromolecular Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199004, Russia
| | - O. V. Borisov
- Institute
of Macromolecular Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199004, Russia
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire de Recherche sur l’Environnement
et les Matériaux, UMR 5254, UPPA CNRS, 64053 Pau, France
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