1
|
Scognamiglio PL, Vicidomini C, Roviello GN. Dancing with Nucleobases: Unveiling the Self-Assembly Properties of DNA and RNA Base-Containing Molecules for Gel Formation. Gels 2023; 10:16. [PMID: 38247739 PMCID: PMC10815473 DOI: 10.3390/gels10010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Nucleobase-containing molecules are compounds essential in biology due to the fundamental role of nucleic acids and, in particular, G-quadruplex DNA and RNA in life. Moreover, some molecules different from nucleic acids isolated from different vegetal sources or microorganisms show nucleobase moieties in their structure. Nucleoamino acids and peptidyl nucleosides belong to this molecular class. Closely related to the above, nucleopeptides, also known as nucleobase-bearing peptides, are chimeric derivatives of synthetic origin and more rarely isolated from plants. Herein, the self-assembly properties of a vast number of structures, belonging to the nucleic acid and nucleoamino acid/nucleopeptide family, are explored in light of the recent scientific literature. Moreover, several technologically relevant properties, such as the hydrogelation ability of some of the nucleobase-containing derivatives, are reviewed in order to make way for future experimental investigations of newly devised nucleobase-driven hydrogels. Nucleobase-containing molecules, such as mononucleosides, DNA, RNA, quadruplex (G4)-forming oligonucleotides, and nucleopeptides are paramount in gel and hydrogel formation owing to their distinctive molecular attributes and ability to self-assemble in biomolecular nanosystems with the most diverse applications in different fields of biomedicine and nanotechnology. In fact, these molecules and their gels present numerous advantages, underscoring their significance and applicability in both material science and biomedicine. Their versatility, capability for molecular recognition, responsiveness to stimuli, biocompatibility, and biodegradability collectively contribute to their prominence in modern nanotechnology and biomedicine. In this review, we emphasize the critical role of nucleobase-containing molecules of different nature in pioneering novel materials with multifaceted applications, highlighting their potential in therapy, diagnostics, and new nanomaterials fabrication as required for addressing numerous current biomedical and nanotechnological challenges.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Caterina Vicidomini
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, Italian National Council for Research (IBB-CNR), Area di Ricerca Site and Headquarters, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanni N. Roviello
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, Italian National Council for Research (IBB-CNR), Area di Ricerca Site and Headquarters, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Alletto P, Garcia AM, Marchesan S. Short Peptides for Hydrolase Supramolecular Mimicry and Their Potential Applications. Gels 2023; 9:678. [PMID: 37754360 PMCID: PMC10529927 DOI: 10.3390/gels9090678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydrolases are enzymes that have found numerous applications in various industrial sectors spanning from pharmaceuticals to foodstuff and beverages, consumers' products such as detergents and personal care, textiles, and even for biodiesel production and environmental bioremediation. Self-assembling and gelling short peptides have been designed for their mimicry so that their supramolecular organization leads to the creation of hydrophobic pockets for catalysis to occur. Catalytic gels of this kind can also find numerous industrial applications to address important global challenges of our time. This concise review focuses on the last 5 years of progress in this fast-paced, popular field of research with an eye towards the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paola Alletto
- Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
- Instituto Regional de Investigación Científica Aplicada (IRICA), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
- Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnologías Químicas, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Ana Maria Garcia
- Instituto Regional de Investigación Científica Aplicada (IRICA), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
- Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnologías Químicas, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Silvia Marchesan
- Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Babić M, Janković P, Marchesan S, Mauša G, Kalafatovic D. Esterase Sequence Composition Patterns for the Identification of Catalytic Triad Microenvironment Motifs. J Chem Inf Model 2022; 62:6398-6410. [PMID: 36223497 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c00977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Ester hydrolysis is of wide biomedical interest, spanning from the green synthesis of pharmaceuticals to biomaterials' development. Existing peptide-based catalysts exhibit low catalytic efficiency compared to natural enzymes, due to the conformational heterogeneity of peptides. Moreover, there is lack of understanding of the correlation between the primary sequence and catalytic function. For this purpose, we statistically analyzed 22 EC 3.1 hydrolases with known catalytic triads, characterized by unique and well-defined mechanisms. The aim was to identify patterns at the sequence level that will better inform the creation of short peptides containing important information for catalysis, based on the catalytic triad, oxyanion holes and the triad residues microenvironments. Moreover, fragmentation schemes of the primary sequence of selected enzymes alongside the study of their amino acid frequencies, composition, and physicochemical properties are proposed. The results showed highly conserved catalytic sites with distinct positional patterns and chemical microenvironments that favor catalysis and revealed variations in catalytic site composition that could be useful for the design of minimalistic catalysts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marko Babić
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Patrizia Janković
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Silvia Marchesan
- Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127Trieste, Italy
| | - Goran Mauša
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka, 51000Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Daniela Kalafatovic
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000Rijeka, Croatia.,Center for Advanced Computing and Modeling, University of Rijeka, 51000Rijeka, Croatia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Diaz-Espinoza R. Catalytically Active Amyloids as Future Bionanomaterials. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:3802. [PMID: 36364578 PMCID: PMC9656882 DOI: 10.3390/nano12213802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Peptides and proteins can aggregate into highly ordered and structured conformations called amyloids. These supramolecular structures generally have convergent features, such as the formation of intermolecular beta sheets, that lead to fibrillary architectures. The resulting fibrils have unique mechanical properties that can be exploited to develop novel nanomaterials. In recent years, sequences of small peptides have been rationally designed to self-assemble into amyloids that catalyze several chemical reactions. These amyloids exhibit reactive surfaces that can mimic the active sites of enzymes. In this review, I provide a state-of-the-art summary of the development of catalytically active amyloids. I will focus especially on catalytic activities mediated by hydrolysis, which are the most studied examples to date, as well as novel types of recently reported activities that promise to expand the possible repertoires. The combination of mechanical properties with catalytic activity in an amyloid scaffold has great potential for the development of future bionanomaterials aimed at specific applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Diaz-Espinoza
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 3363, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Fortunato A, Mba M. A Peptide-Based Hydrogel for Adsorption of Dyes and Pharmaceuticals in Water Remediation. Gels 2022; 8:672. [PMID: 36286173 PMCID: PMC9601570 DOI: 10.3390/gels8100672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The removal of dyes and pharmaceuticals from water has become a major issue in recent years due to the shortage of freshwater resources. The adsorption of these pollutants through nontoxic, easy-to-make, and environmentally friendly adsorbents has become a popular topic. In this work, a tetrapeptide-pyrene conjugate was rationally designed to form hydrogels under controlled acidic conditions. The hydrogels were thoroughly characterized, and their performance in the adsorption of various dyes and pharmaceuticals from water was investigated. The supramolecular hydrogel efficiently adsorbed methylene blue (MB) and diclofenac (DCF) from water. The effect of concentration in the adsorption efficiency was studied, and results indicated that while the adsorption of MB is governed by the availability of adsorption sites, in the case of DCF, concentration is the driving force of the process. In the case of MB, the nature of the dye-hydrogel interactions and the mechanism of the adsorption process were investigated through UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The studies proved how this dye is first adsorbed as a monomer, probably through electrostatic interactions; successively, at increasing concentrations as the electrostatic adsorption sites are depleted, dimerization on the hydrogel surface occurs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Miriam Mba
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Mañas‐Torres MC, Illescas‐Lopez S, Gavira JA, de Cienfuegos LÁ, Marchesan S. Interactions Between Peptide Assemblies and Proteins for Medicine. Isr J Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ijch.202200018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mari C. Mañas‐Torres
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Unidad de Excelencia Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ) Universidad de Granada, (UGR) C. U. Fuentenueva Avda. Severo Ochoa s/n E-18071 Granada
| | - Sara Illescas‐Lopez
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Unidad de Excelencia Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ) Universidad de Granada, (UGR) C. U. Fuentenueva Avda. Severo Ochoa s/n E-18071 Granada
| | - José A. Gavira
- Laboratorio de Estudios Cristalográficos Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-UGR) Avenida de las Palmeras 4 18100 Armilla, UEQ Granada Spain
| | - Luis Álvarez de Cienfuegos
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Unidad de Excelencia Química Aplicada a Biomedicina y Medioambiente (UEQ) Universidad de Granada, (UGR) C. U. Fuentenueva Avda. Severo Ochoa s/n E-18071 Granada
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs Granada Spain
| | - Silvia Marchesan
- Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department University of Trieste Via L. Giorgieri 1 Trieste 34127 Italy
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Fang Z, Zhang J, Yan X, Hu L, Lei L, Fan H, Wang W, Müller-Buschbaum P, Zhong Q. Simultaneous and Efficient Removal of Oleophilic and Hydrophilic Stains from Polyurethane by the Combination of Easy-Cleaning and Self-Cleaning. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:16641-16648. [PMID: 35377589 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c01042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The simultaneous and efficient removal of oleophilic and hydrophilic stains from polyurethane (PU) is realized by combining the easy-cleaning from the hydrophilic thermoresponsive hydrogel coating containing acrylamide (AAm), gum arabic (GA), and (ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA300) P(GA/AAm/OEGMA300) and the self-cleaning from the embedded nonmetallic photocatalyst g-C3N4. Due to the existence of strong hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups in the hybrid hydrogel coating and the hydroxyl/carboxyl groups in the plasma-treated PU, the hybrid hydrogel coating is very stable on PU. Simultaneously, the acrylamide network in the hybrid hydrogel coating enhances its mechanical strength. Because the transition temperature of OEGMA300 is well above the room temperature, the cross-linked coating remains hydrophilic in ambient conditions. Thus, oleophilic stains, such as oil and grease, can be easily removed from the coating surface. In addition, the embedded photocatalyst g-C3N4 in the hybrid hydrogel coating introduces the extra capability of decomposing organic compounds under sunshine, which favors the removal of hydrophilic stains such as dyes and wines. After sunlight illumination and simply rinsing with water, both hydrophilic and oleophilic stains can be easily removed. Moreover, this joint cleaning performance can work for a long time. Even after four consecutive cycles, both the easy-cleaning to oleophilic stains by the hydrophilic hydrogel surface and self-cleaning to the hydrophilic stains by the embedded g-C3N4 remain unchanged.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Fang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Materials & Manufacturing Technology, Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, 928 Second Avenue, 310018 Hangzhou, China
| | - Junfeng Zhang
- Hexin Kuraray Micro Fiber Leather (Jiaxing) Co. Ltd., 777 Pingnan Road, 314003 Jiaxing, China
| | - Xuefeng Yan
- Zhejiang Hexin New Material Co. Ltd., 1568 Dongfang Road, 314003 Jiaxing, China
| | - Lizhen Hu
- Zhejiang Hexin New Material Co. Ltd., 1568 Dongfang Road, 314003 Jiaxing, China
| | - Lin Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 710072 Xi'an, China
| | - Huiqing Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 710072 Xi'an, China
| | - Weijia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 710072 Xi'an, China
| | - Peter Müller-Buschbaum
- Physik-Department, Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
- Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Qi Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Materials & Manufacturing Technology, Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, 928 Second Avenue, 310018 Hangzhou, China
- Physik-Department, Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Kovalenko SP. On the Origin of Genetically Coded Protein Synthesis. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s1068162021060121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
9
|
Duran-Meza E, Diaz-Espinoza R. Catalytic Amyloids as Novel Synthetic Hydrolases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22179166. [PMID: 34502074 PMCID: PMC8431744 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloids are supramolecular assemblies composed of polypeptides stabilized by an intermolecular beta-sheet core. These misfolded conformations have been traditionally associated with pathological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson´s diseases. However, this classical paradigm has changed in the last decade since the discovery that the amyloid state represents a universal alternative fold accessible to virtually any polypeptide chain. Moreover, recent findings have demonstrated that the amyloid fold can serve as catalytic scaffolds, creating new opportunities for the design of novel active bionanomaterials. Here, we review the latest advances in this area, with particular emphasis on the design and development of catalytic amyloids that exhibit hydrolytic activities. To date, three different types of activities have been demonstrated: esterase, phosphoesterase and di-phosphohydrolase. These artificial hydrolases emerge upon the self-assembly of small peptides into amyloids, giving rise to catalytically active surfaces. The highly stable nature of the amyloid fold can provide an attractive alternative for the design of future synthetic hydrolases with diverse applications in the industry, such as the in situ decontamination of xenobiotics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Duran-Meza
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800003, Chile;
| | - Rodrigo Diaz-Espinoza
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9170022, Chile
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|