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Xiao K, Yang Y, Xu X, Szymanowski JES, Zhou Y, Sigmon GE, Burns PC, Liu T. Coacervate Formation in Dilute Aqueous Solutions of Inorganic Molecular Clusters with Simple Divalent Countercations. Inorg Chem 2024. [PMID: 39106045 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c02103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
We report a complex coacervate formed by a 2.5 nm-diameter, rigid uranyl peroxide molecular cluster (Li68K12(OH)20)[UO2(O2)OH]60, U6060-) and SrCl2 salt in dilute aqueous solutions, including its location in the phase diagram, composition, rheological features, and critical conditions for phase transitions. In this coacervate, the Sr2+ cations are a major building component, and the coacervate phase covers a substantial region of the phase diagram. This coacervate demonstrates features that differ from traditional coacervates formed by oppositely charged long-chain polyelectrolytes, especially in its formation mechanism, dehydration, enhancement of mechanical strength with increasing ionic strength, and the change of salt partition preference into the coacervate and supernatant phases with ionic strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kexing Xiao
- School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Yuqing Yang
- School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Xiaohan Xu
- School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | | | - Yifan Zhou
- School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | | | | | - Tianbo Liu
- School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
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2
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Alshareedah I, Singh A, Yang S, Ramachandran V, Quinn A, Potoyan DA, Banerjee PR. Determinants of viscoelasticity and flow activation energy in biomolecular condensates. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadi6539. [PMID: 38363841 PMCID: PMC10871536 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi6539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
The form and function of biomolecular condensates are intimately linked to their material properties. Here, we integrate microrheology with molecular simulations to dissect the physical determinants of condensate fluid phase dynamics. By quantifying the timescales and energetics of network relaxation in a series of heterotypic viscoelastic condensates, we uncover distinctive roles of sticker motifs, binding energy, and chain length in dictating condensate dynamical properties. We find that the mechanical relaxation times of condensate-spanning networks are determined by both intermolecular interactions and chain length. We demonstrate, however, that the energy barrier for network reconfiguration, termed flow activation energy, is independent of chain length and only varies with the strengths of intermolecular interactions. Biomolecular diffusion in the dense phase depends on a complex interplay between viscoelasticity and flow activation energy. Our results illuminate distinctive roles of chain length and sequence-specific multivalent interactions underlying the complex material and transport properties of biomolecular condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anurag Singh
- Department of Physics, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Sean Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | | | - Alexander Quinn
- Department of Physics, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Davit A. Potoyan
- Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Priya R. Banerjee
- Department of Physics, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
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3
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Staňo R, van Lente J, Lindhoud S, Košovan P. Sequestration of Small Ions and Weak Acids and Bases by a Polyelectrolyte Complex Studied by Simulation and Experiment. Macromolecules 2024; 57:1383-1398. [PMID: 38370910 PMCID: PMC10867894 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c01209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Mixing of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes can result in phase separation into a polymer-poor supernatant and a polymer-rich polyelectrolyte complex (PEC). We present a new coarse-grained model for the Grand-reaction method that enables us to determine the composition of the coexisting phases in a broad range of pH and salt concentrations. We validate the model by comparing it to recent simulations and experimental studies, as well as our own experiments on poly(acrylic acid)/poly(allylamine hydrochloride) complexes. The simulations using our model predict that monovalent ions partition approximately equally between both phases, whereas divalent ones accumulate in the PEC phase. On a semiquantitative level, these results agree with our own experiments, as well as with other experiments and simulations in the literature. In the sequel, we use the model to study the partitioning of a weak diprotic acid at various pH values of the supernatant. Our results show that the ionization of the acid is enhanced in the PEC phase, resulting in its preferential accumulation in this phase, which monotonically increases with the pH. Currently, this effect is still waiting to be confirmed experimentally. We explore how the model parameters (particle size, charge density, permittivity, and solvent quality) affect the measured partition coefficients, showing that fine-tuning of these parameters can make the agreement with the experiments almost quantitative. Nevertheless, our results show that charge regulation in multivalent solutes can potentially be exploited in engineering the partitioning of charged molecules in PEC-based systems at various pH values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Staňo
- Faculty
of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Vienna
Doctoral School in Physics, University of
Vienna, Boltzmanngasse
5, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jéré
J. van Lente
- Department
of Molecules & Materials, University
of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Saskia Lindhoud
- Department
of Molecules & Materials, University
of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Košovan
- Department
of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Hlavova 8, 128 40 Prague 2, Czech Republic
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Jin Z, Ling C, Yim W, Chang YC, He T, Li K, Zhou J, Cheng Y, Li Y, Yeung J, Wang R, Fajtová P, Amer L, Mattoussi H, O'Donoghue AJ, Jokerst JV. Endoproteolysis of Oligopeptide-Based Coacervates for Enzymatic Modeling. ACS NANO 2023; 17:16980-16992. [PMID: 37579082 PMCID: PMC10614163 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c04259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
Better insights into the fate of membraneless organelles could strengthen the understanding of the transition from prebiotic components to multicellular organisms. Compartmentalized enzyme reactions in a synthetic coacervate have been investigated, yet there remains a gap in understanding the enzyme interactions with coacervate as a substrate hub. Here, we study how the molecularly crowded nature of the coacervate affects the interactions of the embedded substrate with a protease. We design oligopeptide-based coacervates that comprise an anionic Asp-peptide (D10) and a cationic Arg-peptide (R5R5) with a proteolytic cleavage site. The coacervates dissolve in the presence of the main protease (Mpro) implicated in the coronavirus lifecycle. We capitalize on the condensed structure, introduce a self-quenching mechanism, and model the enzyme kinetics by using Cy5.5-labeled peptides. The determined specificity constant (kcat/KM) is 5817 M-1 s-1 and is similar to that of the free substrate. We further show that the enzyme kinetics depend on the type and quantity of dye incorporated into the coacervates. Our work presents a simple design for enzyme-responsive coacervates and provides insights into the interactions between the enzyme and coacervates as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhicheng Jin
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Chuxuan Ling
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Wonjun Yim
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Yu-Ci Chang
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Tengyu He
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Ke Li
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis #08-03, Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jiajing Zhou
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Yong Cheng
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Yi Li
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Justin Yeung
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Ruijia Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Pavla Fajtová
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Lubna Amer
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Hedi Mattoussi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee 32306, Florida, United States
| | - Anthony J O'Donoghue
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
| | - Jesse V Jokerst
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
- Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093, California, United States
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Herrera SE, Agazzi ML, Apuzzo E, Cortez ML, Marmisollé WA, Tagliazucchi M, Azzaroni O. Polyelectrolyte-multivalent molecule complexes: physicochemical properties and applications. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:2013-2041. [PMID: 36811333 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01507b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The complexation of polyelectrolytes with other oppositely charged structures gives rise to a great variety of functional materials with potential applications in a wide spectrum of technological fields. Depending on the assembly conditions, polyelectrolyte complexes can acquire different macroscopic configurations such as dense precipitates, nanosized colloids and liquid coacervates. In the past 50 years, much progress has been achieved to understand the principles behind the phase separation induced by the interaction of two oppositely charged polyelectrolytes in aqueous solutions, especially for symmetric systems (systems in which both polyions have similar molecular weight and concentration). However, in recent years, the complexation of polyelectrolytes with alternative building blocks such as small charged molecules (multivalent inorganic species, oligopeptides, and oligoamines, among others) has gained attention in different areas. In this review, we discuss the physicochemical characteristics of the complexes formed by polyelectrolytes and multivalent small molecules, putting a special emphasis on their similarities with the well-known polycation-polyanion complexes. In addition, we analyze the potential of these complexes to act as versatile functional platforms in various technological fields, such as biomedicine and advanced materials engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago E Herrera
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física, INQUIMAE, CONICET. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina.
| | - Maximiliano L Agazzi
- Instituto para el Desarrollo Agroindustrial y de la Salud (IDAS), (UNRC, CONICET), Ruta Nacional 36 KM 601, 5800 Río Cuarto, Argentina.
| | - Eugenia Apuzzo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), (UNLP, CONICET), Sucursal 4, Casilla de Correo 16, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
| | - M Lorena Cortez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), (UNLP, CONICET), Sucursal 4, Casilla de Correo 16, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
| | - Waldemar A Marmisollé
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), (UNLP, CONICET), Sucursal 4, Casilla de Correo 16, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
| | - Mario Tagliazucchi
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física, INQUIMAE, CONICET. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina.
| | - Omar Azzaroni
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), (UNLP, CONICET), Sucursal 4, Casilla de Correo 16, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
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Digby ZA, Chen Y, Akkaoui K, Schlenoff JB. Bulk Biopolyelectrolyte Complexes from Homopolypeptides: Solid "Salt Bridges". Biomacromolecules 2023; 24:1453-1462. [PMID: 36753621 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c01456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Salt bridges, pairings between oppositely charged amino acids, are dispersed throughout proteins to assist folding and interactions. Biopolyelectrolyte complexes (BioPECs) were made between the homopolypeptides poly-l-arginine (PLR) and poly-l-lysine (PLK) with sodium triphosphate (STPP), as well as from polypeptide-only combinations. Viscoelastic measurements on these high salt bridge density materials showed many were solid, even glassy, in nature. Although the polypeptide-phosphate complexes had similar moduli at room temperature, the PLR-STPP complex displayed an unusual melting event above 70 °C not seen in PLK-STPP. This event was supported with differential scanning calorimetry. Infrared spectroscopy showed the PLK-STPP system contained β-sheets, while PLR-STPP did not. Stoichiometric, macroscopic BioPECs of PLR and PLK with poly-l-aspartic acid (PLD) and poly-l-glutamic acid (PLE) were made. PLR-PLD was found to undergo a melting event similar to that in PLR-STPP. ATR-FTIR studies showed that BioPECs made with PLD do not contain β-sheets, while those composed of PLE do. This work illustrates an expanded palette of unique properties from these biomaterials, such as strong viscoelastic differences between PECs containing PLE and PLD, even though they differ by only one carbon on the side chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary A Digby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390, United States
| | - Yuhui Chen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390, United States
| | - Khalil Akkaoui
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390, United States
| | - Joseph B Schlenoff
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4390, United States
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Avazverdi E, Mirzadeh H, Ehsani M, Bagheri-Khoulenjani S. Polysaccharide-based polyampholyte complex formation: Investigating the role of intra-chain interactions. Carbohydr Polym 2023; 313:120836. [PMID: 37182945 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
The difference in inter-chain and intra-chain electrostatic attraction was investigated in polyelectrolyte and polyampholyte electrostatic complex formation. Three polymers with similar backbone molecular structures including chitosan (Ch) polycation, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMCe) polyanion, and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCh) polyampholyte were used for this purpose. The turbidimetric, water content, and rheological measurements for polyampholyte self-complex showed more dependence on the ionic strength rather than the polyelectrolyte one. The degree of dissociation (α), dissociation constant (pKa), and intrinsic persistence length were calculated by applying the Katchalsky-Lifson model to potentiometric data. We studied the gyration radii as a function of Debye length and observed the polyampholyte chain contractions due to the intra-chain electrostatic attractions, which minimize the entropic gain of the inter-chain complex formation. This is in accordance with the decrease in pKa by αc for CMCh which is the opposite of that for the Ch and CMCe samples. We also found that the polyampholyte has less intrinsic and electrostatic persistence length compared with both polyanion and polycation with similar chain structures indicating the impact of the inter-chain electrostatic interaction on the complex properties. This study deepens our insight about the behavior of CMCh and the nature of difference between CMCh and Ch/CMCe electrostatic complexes.
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A mini-review on bio-inspired polymer self-assembly: single-component and interactive polymer systems. Emerg Top Life Sci 2022; 6:593-607. [PMID: 36254846 DOI: 10.1042/etls20220057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Biology demonstrates meticulous ways to control biomaterials self-assemble into ordered and disordered structures to carry out necessary bioprocesses. Empowering the synthetic polymers to self-assemble like biomaterials is a hallmark of polymer physics studies. Unlike protein engineering, polymer science demystifies self-assembly by purposely embedding particular functional groups into the backbone of the polymer while isolating others. The polymer field has now entered an era of advancing materials design by mimicking nature to a very large extend. For example, we can make sequence-specific polymers to study highly ordered mesostructures similar to studying proteins, and use charged polymers to study liquid-liquid phase separation as in membraneless organelles. This mini-review summarizes recent advances in studying self-assembly using bio-inspired strategies on single-component and multi-component systems. Sequence-defined techniques are used to make on-demand hybrid materials to isolate the effects of chirality and chemistry in synthetic block copolymer self-assembly. In the meantime, sequence patterning leads to more hierarchical assemblies comprised of only hydrophobic and hydrophilic comonomers. The second half of the review discusses complex coacervates formed as a result of the associative charge interactions of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. The tunable phase behavior and viscoelasticity are unique in studying liquid macrophase separation because the slow polymer relaxation comes primarily from charge interactions. Studies of bio-inspired polymer self-assembly significantly impact how we optimize user-defined materials on a molecular level.
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