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Barati M, Hashemi S, Sayed Tabatabaei M, Zarei Chamgordani N, Mortazavi SM, Moghimi HR. Protein-based microneedles for biomedical applications: A systematic review. Biomed Microdevices 2024; 26:19. [PMID: 38430398 DOI: 10.1007/s10544-024-00701-6] [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] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Microneedles are minimally-invasive devices with the unique capability of bypassing physiological barriers. Hence, they are widely used for different applications from drug/vaccine delivery to diagnosis and cosmetic fields. Recently, natural biopolymers (particularly carbohydrates and proteins) have garnered attention as safe and biocompatible materials with tailorable features for microneedle construction. Several review articles have dealt with carbohydrate-based microneedles. This review aims to highlight the less-noticed role of proteins through a systematic search strategy based on the PRISMA guideline from international databases of PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Original English articles with the keyword "microneedle(s)" in their titles along with at least one of the keywords "biopolymers, silk, gelatin, collagen, zein, keratin, fish-scale, mussel, and suckerin" were collected and those in which the proteins undertook a structural role were screened. Then, we focused on the structures and applications of protein-based microneedles. Also, the unique features of some protein biopolymers that make them ideal for microneedle construction (e.g., excellent mechanical strength, self-adhesion, and self-assembly), as well as the challenges associated with them were reviewed. Altogether, the proteins identified so far seem not only promising for the fabrication of "better" microneedles in the future but also inspiring for designing biomimetic structural biopolymers with ideal characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maedeh Barati
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shiva Hashemi
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Sayed Tabatabaei
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nasrin Zarei Chamgordani
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyedeh Maryam Mortazavi
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Reza Moghimi
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Protein Technology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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2
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Liu Y, Wang Y, Tong C, Wei G, Ding F, Sun Y. Molecular Insights into the Self-Assembly of Block Copolymer Suckerin Polypeptides into Nanoconfined β-Sheets. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2202642. [PMID: 35901284 PMCID: PMC9420834 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202202642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Suckerin in squid sucker ring teeth is a block-copolymer peptide comprised of two repeating modules-the alanine and histidine-rich M1 and the glycine-rich M2. Suckerin self-assemblies display excellent thermo-plasticity and pH-responsive properties, along with the high biocompatibility, biodegradability, and sustainability. However, the self-assembly mechanism and the detailed role of each module are still elusive, limiting the capability of applying and manipulating such biomaterials. Here, the self-assembly dynamics of the two modules and two minimalist suckerin-mimetic block-copolymers, M1-M2-M1 and M2-M1-M2, in silico is investigated. The simulation results demonstrate that M2 has a stronger self-association but weaker β-sheet propensities than M1. The high self-assembly propensity of M2 allows the minimalist block-copolymer peptides to coalesce with microphase separation, enabling the formation of nanoconfined β-sheets in the matrix formed by M1-M2 contacts. Since these glycine-rich fragments with scatted hydrophobic and aromatic residues are building blocks of many other block-copolymer peptides, the study suggests that these modules function as the "molecular glue" in addition to the flexible linker or spacer to drive the self-assembly and microphase separation. The uncovered molecular insights may help understand the structure and function of suckerin and also aid in the design of functional block-copolymer peptides for nanotechnology and biomedicine applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuying Liu
- Department of Physics, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Physics, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Chaohui Tong
- Department of Physics, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Guanghong Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Yunxiang Sun
- Department of Physics, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
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Bioinspired Sandcastle Worm-Derived Peptide-Based Hybrid Hydrogel for Promoting the Formation of Liver Spheroids. Gels 2022; 8:gels8030149. [PMID: 35323262 PMCID: PMC8950079 DOI: 10.3390/gels8030149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The generation of hepatic spheroids is beneficial for a variety of potential applications, including drug development, disease modeling, transplantation, and regenerative medicine. Natural hydrogels are obtained from tissues and have been widely used to promote the growth, differentiation, and retention of specific functionalities of hepatocytes. However, relying on natural hydrogels for the generation of hepatic spheroids, which have batch to batch variations, may in turn limit the previously mentioned potential applications. For this reason, we researched a way to establish a three-dimensional (3D) culture system that more closely mimics the interaction between hepatocytes and their surrounding microenvironments, thereby potentially offering a more promising and suitable system for drug development, disease modeling, transplantation, and regenerative medicine. Here, we developed self-assembling and bioactive hybrid hydrogels to support the generation and growth of hepatic spheroids. Our hybrid hydrogels (PC4/Cultrex) inspired by the sandcastle worm, an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) cell adhesion sequence, and bioactive molecules derived from Cultrex BME (Basement Membrane Extract). By performing optimizations to the design, the PC4/Cultrex hybrid hydrogels can enhance HepG2 cells to form spheroids and express their molecular signatures (e.g., Cyp3A4, Cyp7a1, A1at, Afp, Ck7, Ck1, and E-cad). Our study demonstrated that this hybrid hydrogel system offers potential advantages for hepatocytes in proliferating, differentiating, and self-organizing to form hepatic spheroids in a more controllable and reproducible manner. In addition, it is a versatile and cost-effective method for 3D tissue cultures in mass quantities. Importantly, we demonstrate that it is feasible to adapt a bioinspired approach to design biomaterials for 3D culture systems, which accelerates the design of novel peptide structures and broadens our research choices on peptide-based hydrogels.
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Chu S, Wang AL, Bhattacharya A, Montclare JK. Protein Based Biomaterials for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Applications. PROGRESS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2022; 4:012003. [PMID: 34950852 PMCID: PMC8691744 DOI: 10.1088/2516-1091/ac2841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Proteins are some of the most versatile and studied macromolecules with extensive biomedical applications. The natural and biological origin of proteins offer such materials several advantages over their synthetic counterparts, such as innate bioactivity, recognition by cells and reduced immunogenic potential. Furthermore, proteins can be easily functionalized by altering their primary amino acid sequence and can often be further self-assembled into higher order structures either spontaneously or under specific environmental conditions. This review will feature the recent advances in protein-based biomaterials in the delivery of therapeutic cargo such as small molecules, genetic material, proteins, and cells. First, we will discuss the ways in which secondary structural motifs, the building blocks of more complex proteins, have unique properties that enable them to be useful for therapeutic delivery. Next, supramolecular assemblies, such as fibers, nanoparticles, and hydrogels, made from these building blocks that are engineered to behave in a cohesive manner, are discussed. Finally, we will cover additional modifications to protein materials that impart environmental responsiveness to materials. This includes the emerging field of protein molecular robots, and relatedly, protein-based theranostic materials that combine therapeutic potential with modern imaging modalities, including near-infrared fluorescence spectroscopy (NIRF), single-photo emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound/photoacoustic imaging (US/PAI).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley Chu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Andrew L Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- College of Medicine, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Aparajita Bhattacharya
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Jin Kim Montclare
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Department of Chemistry, NYU, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biomaterials, NYU College of Dentistry, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
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5
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Diverse silk and silk-like proteins derived from terrestrial and marine organisms and their applications. Acta Biomater 2021; 136:56-71. [PMID: 34551332 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Organisms develop unique systems in a given environment. In the process of adaptation, they employ materials in a clever way, which has inspired mankind extensively. Understanding the behavior and material properties of living organisms provides a way to emulate these natural systems and engineer various materials. Silk is a material that has been with human for over 5000 years, and the success of mass production of silkworm silk has realized its applications to medical, pharmaceutical, optical, and even electronic fields. Spider silk, which was characterized later, has expanded the application sectors to textile and military materials based on its tough mechanical properties. Because silk proteins are main components of these materials and there are abundant creatures producing silks that have not been studied, the introduction of new silk proteins would be a breakthrough of engineering materials to open innovative industry fields. Therefore, in this review, we present diverse silk and silk-like proteins and how they are utilized with respect to organism's survival. Here, the range of organisms are not constrained to silkworms and spiders but expanded to other insects, and even marine creatures which produce silk-like proteins that are not observed in terrestrial silks. This viewpoint broadening of silk and silk-like proteins would suggest diverse targets of engineering to design promising silk-based materials. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Silk has been developed as a biomedical material due to unique mechanical and chemical properties. For decades, silks from various silkworm and spider species have been intensively studied. More recently, other silk and silk-like proteins with different sequences and structures have been reported, not only limited to terrestrial organisms (honeybee, green lacewing, caddisfly, and ant), but also from marine creatures (mussel, squid, sea anemone, and pearl oyster). Nevertheless, there has hardly been well-organized literature on silks from such organisms. Regarding the relationship among sequence-structure-properties, this review addresses how silks have been utilized with respect to organism's survival. Finally, this information aims to improve the understanding of diverse silk and silk-like proteins which can offer a significant interest to engineering fields.
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Chang MP, Huang W, Mai DJ. Monomer‐scale design of functional protein polymers using consensus repeat sequences. JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/pol.20210506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marina P. Chang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering Stanford University Stanford California USA
| | - Winnie Huang
- Department of Chemical Engineering Stanford University Stanford California USA
| | - Danielle J. Mai
- Department of Chemical Engineering Stanford University Stanford California USA
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Ramos R, Koh K, Gabryelczyk B, Chai L, Kanagavel D, Yan X, Ganachaud F, Miserez A, Bernard J. Nanocapsules Produced by Nanoprecipitation of Designed Suckerin-Silk Fusion Proteins. ACS Macro Lett 2021; 10:628-634. [PMID: 35570771 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.1c00171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Herein, we report on the precise design of a modular fusion protein amenable to the construction of nanocapsules by nanoprecipitation. The central squid suckerin-derived peptide block provides structural stability, whereas both termini from spider silk fibroins make the protein highly soluble at physiological pH, a critical requirement for the nanoprecipitation process. With this design, nanocapsules consisting of fusion protein shells and oily cores with sizes in the range of 190-250 nm are built in a straightforward manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Ramos
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, CNRS, IMP UMR 5223, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Kenrick Koh
- Center for Sustainable Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637553, Singapore
- NTU Institute for Health Technologies, Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme, NTU, Singapore 637335, Singapore
| | - Bartosz Gabryelczyk
- Center for Sustainable Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637553, Singapore
| | - Luxiao Chai
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, CNRS, IMP UMR 5223, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Deepankumar Kanagavel
- Center for Sustainable Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637553, Singapore
| | - Xibo Yan
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, CNRS, IMP UMR 5223, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | | | - Ali Miserez
- Center for Sustainable Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), 50 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637553, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, NTU, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Julien Bernard
- Univ Lyon, INSA Lyon, CNRS, IMP UMR 5223, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
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Hershewe JM, Wiseman WD, Kath JE, Buck CC, Gupta MK, Dennis PB, Naik RR, Jewett MC. Characterizing and Controlling Nanoscale Self-Assembly of Suckerin-12. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:3388-3399. [PMID: 33201684 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Structural proteins such as "suckerins" present promising avenues for fabricating functional materials. Suckerins are a family of naturally occurring block copolymer-type proteins that comprise the sucker ring teeth of cephalopods and are known to self-assemble into supramolecular networks of nanoconfined β-sheets. Here, we report the characterization and controllable, nanoscale self-assembly of suckerin-12 (S12). We characterize the impacts of salt, pH, and protein concentration on S12 solubility, secondary structure, and self-assembly. In doing so, we identify conditions for fabricating ∼100 nm nanoassemblies (NAs) with narrow size distributions. Finally, by installing a noncanonical amino acid (ncAA) into S12, we demonstrate the assembly of NAs that are covalently conjugated with a hydrophobic fluorophore and the ability to change self-assembly and β-sheet content by PEGylation. This work presents new insights into the biochemistry of suckerin-12 and demonstrates how ncAAs can be used to expedite and fine-tune the design of protein materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine M. Hershewe
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, 2170 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
| | - William D. Wiseman
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, 2170 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
- Master of Biotechnology Program, Technological Institute, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
| | - James E. Kath
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, 2170 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
| | - Chelsea C. Buck
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433, United States
- Chemical and Materials Engineering Department, University of Dayton, 300 College Park Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45469, United States
| | - Maneesh K. Gupta
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Patrick B. Dennis
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Rajesh R. Naik
- 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Michael C. Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, 2170 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Technological Institute E136, Evanston, Illinois 60208−3120, United States
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, 676 North Saint Clair Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, Illinois 60611−3068, United States
- Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, 303 East Superior Street, Suite 11-131, Chicago, Illinois 60611−2875, United States
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Grant AM, Krecker MC, Gupta MK, Dennis PB, Crosby MG, Tsukruk VV. Marine Structural Protein Stability Induced by Hofmeister Salt Annealing and Enzymatic Cross-Linking. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2020; 6:5519-5526. [PMID: 33320559 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c00791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The Humboldt squid is one of the fiercest marine predators thanks in part to its sucker ring teeth that are biopolymer blends of a protein isoform family called suckerin with compression strength that rivals silkworm silk. Here, we focus on the popular suckerin-12 isoform to understand what makes the secondary structure of this biopolymer different in water and the potential role of diverse physical and chemical cross-linkings. By choosing a salt post-treatment, in accordance with the Hofmeister series, we achieved film stability with salt annealing that is comparable to chemical cross-links. By correlating the film morphology with the protein secondary structure changes, suckerin-12 films were shown to contract upon treatment with kosmotropic salts and exhibited increased stability in water. These changes are related to the rearrangement of suckerin-12 secondary structure from random coils and helices to β-sheets. Overall, understanding secondary structure changes caused by aqueous and ionic environments can be instructive for the tuning of the suckerin film sclerotization, its conversion to a tough biological material, and to ultimately produce the natural squid sucker ring teeth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anise M Grant
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30305, United States
| | - Michelle C Krecker
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30305, United States
| | - Maneesh K Gupta
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Patrick B Dennis
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Marquise G Crosby
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Vladimir V Tsukruk
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30305, United States
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10
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Sun Y, Ding F. Thermo- and pH-responsive fibrillization of squid suckerin A1H1 peptide. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:6307-6317. [PMID: 32108838 PMCID: PMC7083694 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr09271d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Stimuli-responsive smart materials have attracted considerable attention with numerous applications in nanotechnology, sensing, and biomedicine. Suckerin family proteins found in squid ring teeth represent such a class of peptide-based smart materials with their self-assemblies featuring excellent thermo-plasticity and pH-dependence. Similar to block copolymers, suckerin proteins are comprised of two repeating sequence motifs, where M1 motifs are abundant in alanine and histidine residues and M2 are rich in glycine. Experimental studies of suckerin assemblies suggested that M1 regions mainly formed nano-confined β-sheets within an amorphous matrix made of M2 modules stabilizing these β-rich nano-assemblies. The histidine-containing M1 modules are believed to govern the pH- and temperature-sensitive properties of suckerin assemblies. To better understand the stimuli-responsive properties of suckerin assemblies at the molecular level, we systematically studied the self-assembly dynamics of A1H1 peptides - a representative M1 sequence - at different temperatures and pH conditions with atomistic discrete molecular dynamic simulations. Our simulations with twenty A1H1 peptides demonstrated that below the transition temperature Tagg, they could readily self-assemble from isolated monomers into well-defined β-sheet nanostructures by both primary and secondary nucleation of β-sheets and subsequent aggregation growth via elongation and coagulation. Interestingly, the dissociation of pre-formed A1H1 β-sheet nanostructures featured a melting temperature Tm higher than Tagg, exhibiting the thermal hysteresis that is characteristic of first-order phase transitions with high energy barriers. In acidic environments where all histidine residues were protonated, the stability of the A1H1 β-sheet nano-assemblies was reduced and the β-rich assemblies easily dissociated into unstructured monomers at significantly lower temperatures than in the neutral solution. The computationally derived molecular mechanisms for pH- and temperature-dependent A1H1 self-assembly will help to understand the supramolecular assembly structures and functions of the large suckerin family and aid in the future design of peptide-based stimuli-responsive smart materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunxiang Sun
- Department of Physics, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, United States
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11
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Sánchez-Ferrer A, Adamcik J, Handschin S, Hiew SH, Miserez A, Mezzenga R. Controlling Supramolecular Chiral Nanostructures by Self-Assembly of a Biomimetic β-Sheet-Rich Amyloidogenic Peptide. ACS NANO 2018; 12:9152-9161. [PMID: 30106557 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b03582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Squid sucker ring teeth (SRT) have emerged as a promising protein-only, thermoplastic biopolymer with an increasing number of biomedical and engineering applications demonstrated in recent years. SRT is a supra-molecular network whereby a flexible, amorphous matrix is mechanically reinforced by nanoconfined β-sheets. The building blocks for the SRT network are a family of suckerin proteins that share a common block copolymer architecture consisting of amorphous domains intervened by smaller, β-sheet forming modules. Recent studies have identified the peptide A1H1 (peptide sequence AATAVSHTTHHA) as one of the most abundant β-sheet forming domains within the suckerin protein family. However, we still have little understanding of the assembly mechanisms by which the A1H1 peptide may assemble into its functional load-bearing domains. In this study, we conduct a detailed self-assembly study of A1H1 and show that the peptide undergoes β-strands-driven elongation into amyloid-like fibrils with a rich polymorphism. The nanostructure of the fibrils was elucidated by small and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The presence of His-rich and Ala-rich segments results in an amphiphilic behavior and drives its assembly into fibrillar supramolecular chiral aggregates with helical ribbon configuration in solution, with the His-rich region exposed to the solvent molecules. Upon increase in concentration, the fibrils undergo gel formation, while preserving the same mesoscopic features. This complex phase behavior suggests that the repeat peptide modules of suckerins may be manipulated beyond their native biological environment to produce a wider variety of self-assembled amyloid-like nanostructures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoni Sánchez-Ferrer
- Department of Health Sciences & Technology , ETH Zurich , Zurich CH-8092 , Switzerland
| | - Jozef Adamcik
- Department of Health Sciences & Technology , ETH Zurich , Zurich CH-8092 , Switzerland
| | - Stephan Handschin
- Department of Health Sciences & Technology , ETH Zurich , Zurich CH-8092 , Switzerland
| | - Shu Hui Hiew
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University (NTU) , 639798 , Singapore
| | - Ali Miserez
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University (NTU) , 639798 , Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences , NTU , 637551 , Singapore
| | - Raffaele Mezzenga
- Department of Health Sciences & Technology , ETH Zurich , Zurich CH-8092 , Switzerland
- Department of Materials , ETH Zurich , Zurich CH-8093 , Switzerland
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