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Plaper T, Rihtar E, Železnik Ramuta T, Forstnerič V, Jazbec V, Ivanovski F, Benčina M, Jerala R. The art of designed coiled-coils for the regulation of mammalian cells. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:1460-1472. [PMID: 38971158 PMCID: PMC11335187 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2024.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Synthetic biology aims to engineer complex biological systems using modular elements, with coiled-coil (CC) dimer-forming modules are emerging as highly useful building blocks in the regulation of protein assemblies and biological processes. Those small modules facilitate highly specific and orthogonal protein-protein interactions, offering versatility for the regulation of diverse biological functions. Additionally, their design rules enable precise control and tunability over these interactions, which are crucial for specific applications. Recent advancements showcase their potential for use in innovative therapeutic interventions and biomedical applications. In this review, we discuss the potential of CCs, exploring their diverse applications in mammalian cells, such as synthetic biological circuit design, transcriptional and allosteric regulation, cellular assemblies, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell regulation, and genome editing and their role in advancing the understanding and regulation of cellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tjaša Plaper
- Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Erik Rihtar
- Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Taja Železnik Ramuta
- Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vida Forstnerič
- Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vid Jazbec
- Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Filip Ivanovski
- Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mojca Benčina
- Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Centre for Technologies of Gene and Cell Therapy, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Roman Jerala
- Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Centre for Technologies of Gene and Cell Therapy, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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2
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Proksch J, Dal Colle MCS, Heinz F, Schmidt RF, Gottwald J, Delbianco M, Keller BG, Gradzielski M, Alexiev U, Koksch B. Impact of glycan nature on structure and viscoelastic properties of glycopeptide hydrogels. J Pept Sci 2024; 30:e3599. [PMID: 38567550 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3599] [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: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Mucus is a complex biological hydrogel that acts as a barrier for almost everything entering or exiting the body. It is therefore of emerging interest for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Besides water, the most abundant components are the large and densely glycosylated mucins, glycoproteins of up to 20 MDa and carbohydrate content of up to 80 wt%. Here, we designed and explored a library of glycosylated peptides to deconstruct the complexity of mucus. Using the well-characterized hFF03 coiled-coil system as a hydrogel-forming peptide scaffold, we systematically probed the contribution of single glycans to the secondary structure as well as the formation and viscoelastic properties of the resulting hydrogels. We show that glycan-decoration does not affect α-helix and coiled-coil formation while it alters gel stiffness. By using oscillatory macrorheology, dynamic light scattering microrheology, and fluorescence lifetime-based nanorheology, we characterized the glycopeptide materials over several length scales. Molecular simulations revealed that the glycosylated linker may extend into the solvent, but more frequently interacts with the peptide, thereby likely modifying the stability of the self-assembled fibers. This systematic study highlights the interplay between glycan structure and hydrogel properties and may guide the development of synthetic mucus mimetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Proksch
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marlene C S Dal Colle
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Biomolecular Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Frederick Heinz
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert F Schmidt
- Stranski-Laboratorium für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Martina Delbianco
- Department of Biomolecular Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Bettina G Keller
- Stranski-Laboratorium für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Gradzielski
- Stranski-Laboratorium für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulrike Alexiev
- Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Beate Koksch
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Sun X, Lian Y, Tian T, Cui Z. Advancements in Functional Nanomaterials Inspired by Viral Particles. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2402980. [PMID: 39058214 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202402980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are nanostructures composed of one or more structural proteins, exhibiting stable and symmetrical structures. Their precise compositions and dimensions provide versatile opportunities for modifications, enhancing their functionality. Consequently, VLP-based nanomaterials have gained widespread adoption across diverse domains. This review focuses on three key aspects: the mechanisms of viral capsid protein self-assembly into VLPs, design methods for constructing multifunctional VLPs, and strategies for synthesizing multidimensional nanomaterials using VLPs. It provides a comprehensive overview of the advancements in virus-inspired functional nanomaterials, encompassing VLP assembly, functionalization, and the synthesis of multidimensional nanomaterials. Additionally, this review explores future directions, opportunities, and challenges in the field of VLP-based nanomaterials, aiming to shed light on potential advancements and prospects in this exciting area of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianxun Sun
- College of Life Science, Jiang Han University, Wuhan, 430056, China
| | - Yindong Lian
- College of Life Science, Jiang Han University, Wuhan, 430056, China
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Tao Tian
- College of Life Science, Jiang Han University, Wuhan, 430056, China
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Zongqiang Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
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Perez AR, Lee Y, Colvin ME, Merg AD. Interhelical E@g-N@a interactions modulate coiled coil stability within a de novo set of orthogonal peptide heterodimers. J Pept Sci 2024; 30:e3540. [PMID: 37690796 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3540] [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: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
The designability of orthogonal coiled coil (CC) dimers, which draw on well-established design rules, plays a pivotal role in fueling the development of CCs as synthetically versatile assembly-directing motifs for the fabrication of bionanomaterials. Here, we aim to expand the synthetic CC toolkit through establishing a "minimalistic" set of orthogonal, de novo CC peptides that comprise 3.5 heptads in length and a single buried Asn to prescribe dimer formation. The designed sequences display excellent partner fidelity, confirmed via circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and Ni-NTA binding assays, and are corroborated in silico using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Detailed analysis of the MD conformational data highlights the importance of interhelical E@g-N@a interactions in coordinating an extensive 6-residue hydrogen bonding network that "locks" the interchain Asn-Asn' contact in place. The enhanced stability imparted to the Asn-Asn' bond elicits an increase in thermal stability of CCs up to ~15°C and accounts for significant differences in stability within the collection of similarly designed orthogonal CC pairs. The presented work underlines the utility of MD simulation as a tool for constructing de novo, orthogonal CCs, and presents an alternative handle for modulating the stability of orthogonal CCs via tuning the number of interhelical E@g-N@a contacts. Expansion of CC design rules is a key ingredient for guiding the design and assembly of more complex, intricate CC-based architectures for tackling a variety of challenges within the fields of nanomedicine and bionanotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony R Perez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Yumie Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Michael E Colvin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Andrea D Merg
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, USA
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Gharios R, Francis RM, DeForest CA. Chemical and Biological Engineering Strategies to Make and Modify Next-Generation Hydrogel Biomaterials. MATTER 2023; 6:4195-4244. [PMID: 38313360 PMCID: PMC10836217 DOI: 10.1016/j.matt.2023.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
There is a growing interest in the development of technologies to probe and direct in vitro cellular function for fundamental organoid and stem cell biology, functional tissue and metabolic engineering, and biotherapeutic formulation. Recapitulating many critical aspects of the native cellular niche, hydrogel biomaterials have proven to be a defining platform technology in this space, catapulting biological investigation from traditional two-dimensional (2D) culture into the 3D world. Seeking to better emulate the dynamic heterogeneity characteristic of all living tissues, global efforts over the last several years have centered around upgrading hydrogel design from relatively simple and static architectures into stimuli-responsive and spatiotemporally evolvable niches. Towards this end, advances from traditionally disparate fields including bioorthogonal click chemistry, chemoenzymatic synthesis, and DNA nanotechnology have been co-opted and integrated to construct 4D-tunable systems that undergo preprogrammed functional changes in response to user-defined inputs. In this Review, we highlight how advances in synthetic, semisynthetic, and bio-based chemistries have played a critical role in the triggered creation and customization of next-generation hydrogel biomaterials. We also chart how these advances stand to energize the translational pipeline of hydrogels from bench to market and close with an outlook on outstanding opportunities and challenges that lay ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Gharios
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105, USA
| | - Ryan M. Francis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105, USA
| | - Cole A. DeForest
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105, USA
- Institute of Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98109, USA
- Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105, USA
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Agrahari A, Lipton M, Chmielewski J. Metal-Promoted Higher-Order Assembly of Disulfide-Stapled Helical Barrels. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:2645. [PMID: 37836285 PMCID: PMC10574645 DOI: 10.3390/nano13192645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Peptide-based helical barrels are a noteworthy building block for hierarchical assembly, with a hydrophobic cavity that can serve as a host for cargo. In this study, disulfide-stapled helical barrels were synthesized containing ligands for metal ions on the hydrophilic face of each amphiphilic peptide helix. The major product of the disulfide-stapling reaction was found to be composed of five amphiphilic peptides, thereby going from a 16-amino-acid peptide to a stapled 80-residue protein in one step. The structure of this pentamer, 5HB1, was optimized in silico, indicating a significant hydrophobic cavity of ~6 Å within a helical barrel. Metal-ion-promoted assembly of the helical barrel building blocks generated higher order assemblies with a three-dimensional (3D) matrix morphology. The matrix was decorated with hydrophobic dyes and His-tagged proteins both before and after assembly, taking advantage of the hydrophobic pocket within the helical barrels and coordination sites within the metal ion-peptide framework. As such, this peptide-based biomaterial has potential for a number of biotechnology applications, including supplying small molecule and protein growth factors during cell and tissue growth within the matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark Lipton
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA;
| | - Jean Chmielewski
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA;
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Dégardin M, Gaudreault J, Oliverio R, Serafin B, Forest-Nault C, Liberelle B, De Crescenzo G. Grafting Strategies of Oxidation-Prone Coiled-Coil Peptides for Protein Capture in Bioassays: Impact of Orientation and the Oxidation State. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:28301-28313. [PMID: 37576632 PMCID: PMC10413464 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c02172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Many biomedical and biosensing applications require functionalization of surfaces with proteins. To this end, the E/K coiled-coil peptide heterodimeric system has been shown to be advantageous. First, Kcoil peptides are covalently grafted onto a given surface. Ecoil-tagged proteins can then be non-covalently captured via a specific interaction with their Kcoil partners. Previously, oriented Kcoil grafting was achieved via thiol coupling, using a unique Kcoil with a terminal cysteine residue. However, cysteine-terminated Kcoil peptides are hard to produce, purify, and oxidize during storage. Indeed, they tend to homodimerize and form disulfide bonds via oxidation of their terminal thiol group, making it impossible to later graft them on thiol-reactive surfaces. Kcoil peptides also contain multiple free amine groups, available for covalent coupling through carbodiimide chemistry. Grafting Kcoil peptides on surfaces via amine coupling would thus guarantee their immobilization regardless of their terminal cysteine's oxidation state, at the expense of the control over their orientation. In this work, we compare Kcoil grafting strategies for the subsequent capture of Ecoil-tagged proteins, for applications such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensing and cell culture onto protein-decorated substrates. We compare the "classic" thiol coupling of cysteine-terminated Kcoil peptides to the amine coupling of (i) monomeric Kcoil and (ii) dimeric Kcoil-Kcoil linked by a disulfide bond. We have observed that SPR biosensing performances relying on captured Ecoil-tagged proteins were similar for amine-coupled dimeric Kcoil-Kcoil and thiol-coupled Kcoil peptides, at the expense of higher Ecoil-tagged protein consumption. For cell culture applications, Ecoil-tagged growth factors captured on amine-coupled monomeric Kcoil signaled through cell receptors similarly to those captured on thiol-coupled Kcoil peptides. Altogether, while oriented thiol coupling of cysteine-terminated Kcoil peptides remains the most reliable and versatile platform for Ecoil-tagged protein capture, amine coupling of Kcoil peptides, either monomeric or dimerized through a cysteine bond, can offer a good alternative when the challenges and costs associated with the production of monomeric cysteine-tagged Kcoil are too dissuasive for the application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Médéric Dégardin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal H3T 1J4, Québec, Canada
| | - Jimmy Gaudreault
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal H3T 1J4, Québec, Canada
| | - Romane Oliverio
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal H3T 1J4, Québec, Canada
| | - Benjamin Serafin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal H3T 1J4, Québec, Canada
| | - Catherine Forest-Nault
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal H3T 1J4, Québec, Canada
| | - Benoit Liberelle
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal H3T 1J4, Québec, Canada
| | - Gregory De Crescenzo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal H3T 1J4, Québec, Canada
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Guo P, Wang D, Zhang S, Cheng D, Wu S, Zuo X, Jiang YB, Jiang T. Reassembly of Peptide Nanofibrils on Live Cell Surfaces Promotes Cell-Cell Interactions. NANO LETTERS 2023. [PMID: 37399537 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Nature regulates cellular interactions through the cell-surface molecules and plasma membranes. Despite advances in cell-surface engineering with diverse ligands and reactive groups, modulating cell-cell interactions through scaffolds of the cell-binding cues remains a challenging endeavor. Here, we assembled peptide nanofibrils on live cell surfaces to present the ligands that bind to the target cells. Surprisingly, with the same ligands, reducing the thermal stability of the nanofibrils promoted cellular interactions. Characterizations of the system revealed a thermally induced fibril disassembly and reassembly pathway that facilitated the complexation of the fibrils with the cells. Using the nanofibrils of varied stabilities, the cell-cell interaction was promoted to different extents with free-to-bound cell conversion ratios achieved at low (31%), medium (54%), and high (93%) levels. This study expands the toolbox to generate desired cell behaviors for applications in many areas and highlights the merits of thermally less stable nanoassemblies in designing functional materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Guo
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Di Wang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Shumin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Dan Cheng
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Siyu Wu
- X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Xiaobing Zuo
- X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Yun-Bao Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen 361005, China
- Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
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Cringoli MC, Marchesan S. Cysteine Redox Chemistry in Peptide Self-Assembly to Modulate Hydrogelation. Molecules 2023; 28:4970. [PMID: 37446630 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28134970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cysteine redox chemistry is widely used in nature to direct protein assembly, and in recent years it has inspired chemists to design self-assembling peptides too. In this concise review, we describe the progress in the field focusing on the recent advancements that make use of Cys thiol-disulfide redox chemistry to modulate hydrogelation of various peptide classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cristina Cringoli
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Silvia Marchesan
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
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