1
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Nicy, Morgan JWR, Wales DJ. Energy landscapes for clusters of hexapeptides. J Chem Phys 2024; 161:054112. [PMID: 39092941 DOI: 10.1063/5.0220652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
We present the results for energy landscapes of hexapeptides obtained using interfaces to the Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator (LAMMPS) program. We have used basin-hopping global optimization and discrete path sampling to explore the landscapes of hexapeptide monomers, dimers, and oligomers containing 10, 100, and 200 monomers modeled using a residue-level coarse-grained potential, Mpipi, implemented in LAMMPS. We find that the dimers of peptides containing amino acid residues that are better at promoting phase separation, such as tyrosine and arginine, have melting peaks at higher temperature in their heat capacity compared to phenylalanine and lysine, respectively. This observation correlates with previous work on the same uncapped hexapeptide monomers modeled using atomistic potential. For oligomers, we compare the variation in monomer conformations with radial distance and observe trends for selected angles calculated for each monomer. The LAMMPS interfaces to the GMIN and OPTIM programs for landscape exploration offer new opportunities to investigate larger systems and provide access to the coarse-grained potentials implemented within LAMMPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicy
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - John W R Morgan
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - David J Wales
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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2
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Juković M, Ratkaj I, Kalafatovic D, Bradshaw NJ. Amyloids, amorphous aggregates and assemblies of peptides - Assessing aggregation. Biophys Chem 2024; 308:107202. [PMID: 38382283 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2024.107202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid and amorphous aggregates represent the two major categories of aggregates associated with diseases, and although exhibiting distinct features, researchers often treat them as equivalent, which demonstrates the need for more thorough characterization. Here, we compare amyloid and amorphous aggregates based on their biochemical properties, kinetics, and morphological features. To further decipher this issue, we propose the use of peptide self-assemblies as minimalistic models for understanding the aggregation process. Peptide building blocks are significantly smaller than proteins that participate in aggregation, however, they make a plausible means to bridge the gap in discerning the aggregation process at the more complex, protein level. Additionally, we explore the potential use of peptide-inspired models to research the liquid-liquid phase separation as a feasible mechanism preceding amyloid formation. Connecting these concepts can help clarify our understanding of aggregation-related disorders and potentially provide novel drug targets to impede and reverse these serious illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Juković
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Ivana Ratkaj
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Daniela Kalafatovic
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
| | - Nicholas J Bradshaw
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
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3
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Jayawardena BM, Azzi A, Jones CE. Investigating the role of phenylalanine residues for amyloid formation of the neuropeptide neurokinin B. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 705:149732. [PMID: 38447390 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Neurokinin B (NKB) is a tachykinin peptide that has diverse roles in biology, including in human reproductive development. Cellular processing of this peptide is thought to involve formation of a dense core vesicle during transit through the regulated secretory pathway. The ability of NKB to rapidly form an amyloid can contribute to formation of the secretory granule but features that support amyloid formation of NKB are not well understood. NKB contains a diphenylalanine sequence well recognised as an important motif for self-assembly of other peptides including amyloid β. Using mutations of the diphenylalanine motif we show that this motif in NKB is necessary for amyloid formation, and it is the unique combination of aromaticity and hydrophobicity of phenylalanine that is crucial for aggregation. Using disulfide cross-linking we propose that phenylalanine at sequence position 6 is important for stabilising inter-sheet interactions in the NKB amyloid fibril. Although having a highly conserved sequence, the NKB peptide from zebrafish only contains a single phenylalanine and does not fibrillise as extensively as mammalian NKB. Analysis of self-assembly of NKB-like peptides from different species may help in elucidating their biological roles. Taken together, this work shows that mammalian NKB has evolved, within only 10 residues, a sequence optimised for rapid self-assembly, whilst also containing residues for metal-binding, receptor binding and receptor discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhawantha M Jayawardena
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, 2751, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Annabelle Azzi
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, 2751, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Christopher E Jones
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, 2751, New South Wales, Australia.
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4
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Salter LC, Wojciechowski JP, McLean B, Charchar P, Barnes PRF, Creamer A, Doutch J, Barriga HMG, Holme MN, Yarovsky I, Stevens MM. 3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene Hydrogels: Relating Structure and Charge Transport in Supramolecular Gels. CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS : A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 2024; 36:3092-3106. [PMID: 38617802 PMCID: PMC11007859 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c01360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Ionic charge transport is a ubiquitous language of communication in biological systems. As such, bioengineering is in constant need of innovative, soft, and biocompatible materials that facilitate ionic conduction. Low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) are complex self-assembled materials that have received increasing attention in recent years. Beyond their biocompatible, self-healing, and stimuli responsive facets, LMWGs can be viewed as a "solid" electrolyte solution. In this work, we investigate 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) as a capping group for a small peptide library, which we use as a system to understand the relationship between modes of assembly and charge transport in supramolecular gels. Through a combination of techniques including small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), NMR-based Van't Hoff analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM), rheology, four-point probe, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), we found that modifications to the peptide sequence result in distinct assembly pathways, thermodynamic parameters, mechanical properties, and ionic conductivities. Four-point probe conductivity measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy suggest that ionic conductivity is approximately doubled by programmable gel assemblies with hollow cylinder morphologies relative to gels containing solid fibers or a control electrolyte. More broadly, it is hoped this work will serve as a platform for those working on charge transport of aqueous soft materials in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke C.
B. Salter
- Department
of Materials and Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Biomedical
Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan P. Wojciechowski
- Department
of Materials and Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Biomedical
Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Ben McLean
- School
of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
- ARC
Research Hub for Australian Steel Innovation, https://www.rmit.edu.au/research/centres-collaborations/multi-partner-collaborations/arc-research-hub-aus-steel-manufacturing
| | - Patrick Charchar
- School
of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | - Piers R. F. Barnes
- Department
of Physics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United
Kingdom
| | - Adam Creamer
- Department
of Materials and Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Biomedical
Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - James Doutch
- ISIS
Muon and Neutron Source, Rutherford Appleton
Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Hanna M. G. Barriga
- Department
of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Margaret N. Holme
- Department
of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Irene Yarovsky
- School
of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | - Molly M. Stevens
- Department
of Materials and Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Biomedical
Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Department
of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department
of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Department of Engineering Science,
and Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, OX1
3QU, Oxford, United Kingdom
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5
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Reyes C, Patarroyo MA. Self-assembling peptides: Perspectives regarding biotechnological applications and vaccine development. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 259:128944. [PMID: 38145690 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Self-assembly involves a set of molecules spontaneously interacting in a highly coordinated and dynamic manner to form a specific supramolecular structure having new and clearly defined properties. Many examples of this occur in nature and many more came from research laboratories, with their number increasing every day via ongoing research concerning complex biomolecules and the possibility of harnessing it when developing new applications. As a phenomenon, self-assembly has been described on very different types of molecules (biomolecules including), so this review focuses on what is known about peptide self-assembly, its origins, the forces behind it, how the properties of the resulting material can be tuned in relation to experimental considerations, some biotechnological applications (in which the main protagonists are peptide sequences capable of self-assembly) and what is yet to be tuned regarding their research and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- César Reyes
- PhD Biotechnology Programme, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45#26-85, Bogotá DC 111321, Colombia; Structure Analysis Department, Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Carrera 50#26-20, Bogotá DC 111321, Colombia; Animal Science Faculty, Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales (U.D.C.A.), Calle 222#55-37, Bogotá DC 111166, Colombia
| | - Manuel A Patarroyo
- Molecular Biology and Immunology Department, Fundación Instituto de Inmunología de Colombia (FIDIC), Carrera 50#26-20, Bogotá DC 111321, Colombia; Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 45#26-85, Bogotá DC 111321, Colombia.
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6
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Kuila S, Dey S, Singh P, Shrivastava A, Nanda J. Phenylalanine-based fibrillar systems. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023; 59:14509-14523. [PMID: 37987167 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc04138g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn metabolic disorder characterized by excess accumulation of phenylalanine (Phe) and its fibril formation, resulting in progressive intellectual disability. Several research groups have approached from various directions to understand the formation of toxic amyloid fibrils from the essential amino acid Phe. Different parameters like the nature of the solvent, pH, Phe concentration, temperature, etc. influence the fibril formation kinetics. In this article, we have summarized all major findings regarding the formation of Phe-based fibrils in aqueous and organic media and discussed how non-covalent interactions are involved in the self-assembly process using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The toxicity of Phe-based fibrils is compared with other neurodegenerative peptides. It is noted that the Phe-based fibrils can also induce various globular proteins into toxic fibrils. Later, we discuss the different approaches to inhibit fibril formation and reduce its toxicity. The presence of polyphenolic compounds, drugs, amino acids, nanoparticles, metal ions, crown ethers, and others showed a remarkable inhibitory effect on fibril formation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first-ever etymological analysis of the Phe-fibrillar system and its inhibition to create a strong database against PKU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumen Kuila
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Bengal, Raja Rammohanpur, Siliguri 734013, West Bengal, India.
| | - Sukantha Dey
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Bengal, Raja Rammohanpur, Siliguri 734013, West Bengal, India.
| | - Pijush Singh
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Bengal, Raja Rammohanpur, Siliguri 734013, West Bengal, India.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, West Bengal, India
| | - Akash Shrivastava
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Bengal, Raja Rammohanpur, Siliguri 734013, West Bengal, India.
| | - Jayanta Nanda
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Bengal, Raja Rammohanpur, Siliguri 734013, West Bengal, India.
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7
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Zajkowski T, Lee MD, Sharma S, Vallota-Eastman A, Kuska M, Malczewska M, Rothschild LJ. Conserved functions of prion candidates suggest a primeval role of protein self-templating. Proteins 2023; 91:1298-1315. [PMID: 37519023 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26558] [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: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Amyloid-based prions have simple structures, a wide phylogenetic distribution, and a plethora of functions in contemporary organisms, suggesting they may be an ancient phenomenon. However, this hypothesis has yet to be addressed with a systematic, computational, and experimental approach. Here we present a framework to help guide future experimental verification of candidate prions with conserved functions to understand their role in the early stages of evolution and potentially in the origins of life. We identified candidate prions in all high-quality proteomes available in UniProt computationally, assessed their phylogenomic distributions, and analyzed candidate-prion functional annotations. Of the 27 980 560 proteins scanned, 228 561 were identified as candidate prions (~0.82%). Among these candidates, there were 84 Gene Ontology (GO) terms conserved across the three domains of life. We found that candidate prions with a possible role in adaptation were particularly well-represented within this group. We discuss unifying features of candidate prions to elucidate the primeval roles of prions and their associated functions. Candidate prions annotated as transcription factors, DNA binding, and kinases are particularly well suited to generating diverse responses to changes in their environment and could allow for adaptation and population expansion into more diverse environments. We hypothesized that a relationship between these functions and candidate prions could be evolutionarily ancient, even if individual prion domains themselves are not evolutionarily conserved. Candidate prions annotated with these universally occurring functions potentially represent the oldest extant prions on Earth and are therefore excellent experimental targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Zajkowski
- Universities Space Research Association at NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michael D Lee
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- KBR, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
| | - Siddhant Sharma
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Alec Vallota-Eastman
- Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Mikołaj Kuska
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Malczewska
- Polish Astrobiology Society, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Lynn J Rothschild
- Space Science and Astrobiology Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, USA
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8
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Bertouille J, Kasas S, Martin C, Hennecke U, Ballet S, Willaert RG. Fast Self-Assembly Dynamics of a β-Sheet Peptide Soft Material. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2206795. [PMID: 36807731 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202206795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Peptide-based hydrogels are promising biocompatible materials for wound healing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering applications. The physical properties of these nanostructured materials depend strongly on the morphology of the gel network. However, the self-assembly mechanism of the peptides that leads to a distinct network morphology is still a subject of ongoing debate, since complete assembly pathways have not yet been resolved. To unravel the dynamics of the hierarchical self-assembly process of the model β-sheet forming peptide KFE8 (Ac-FKFEFKFE-NH2 ), high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) in liquid is used. It is demonstrated that a fast-growing network, based on small fibrillar aggregates, is formed at a solid-liquid interface, while in bulk solution, a distinct, more prolonged nanotube network emerges from intermediate helical ribbons. Moreover, the transformation between these morphologies has been visualized. It is expected that this new in situ and in real-time methodology will set the path for the in-depth unravelling of the dynamics of other peptide-based self-assembled soft materials, as well as gaining advanced insights into the formation of fibers involved in protein misfolding diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolien Bertouille
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Sandor Kasas
- Laboratory of Biological Electron Microscopy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
- International Joint Research Group VUB-EPFL BioNanotechnology & NanoMedicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Martin
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Ulrich Hennecke
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Steven Ballet
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
| | - Ronnie G Willaert
- International Joint Research Group VUB-EPFL BioNanotechnology & NanoMedicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
- Research Group Structural Biology Brussels, Alliance Research Group VUB-UGent NanoMicrobiology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 1050, Belgium
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9
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Natarajan A, Rangan K, Vadrevu R. Self-assembly of a peptide sequence, EKKE, composed of exclusively charged amino acids: Role of charge in morphology and lead binding. J Pept Sci 2023; 29:e3451. [PMID: 36098076 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The self-assembly of peptides is influenced by their amino acid sequence and other factors including pH, charge, temperature, and solvent. Herein, we explore whether a four-residue sequence, EKKE, consisting of exclusively charged amino acids shows the propensity to form self-assembled ordered nanostructures and whether the overall charge plays any role in morphological and functional properties. From a combination of experimental data provided by Thioflavin T fluorescence, Congo red absorbance, circular dichroism spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and confocal microscopy, it is clear that the all-polar peptide and charged EKKE sequence shows a pH-dependent tendency to form amyloid-like structures, and the self-assembled entities under acidic, basic and neutral conditions exhibit morphological variation. Additionally, the ability of the self-assembled amyloid nanostructures to bind to the toxic metal, lead (Pb2+ ), was demonstrated from the analysis of the ultraviolet absorbance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data. The modulation at the sequence level for the amyloid-forming EKKE scaffold can further extend its potential role not only in the remediation of other toxic metals but also towards biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aishwarya Natarajan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, India
| | - Krishnan Rangan
- Department of Chemistry, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, India
| | - Ramakrishna Vadrevu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, India
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10
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Thursch LJ, Lima TA, O'Neill N, Ferreira FF, Schweitzer-Stenner R, Alvarez NJ. Influence of central sidechain on self-assembly of glycine-x-glycine peptides. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:394-409. [PMID: 36454226 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01082h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) are the subject of intense research for a range of biomedical and engineering applications. Peptides are a special class of LMWG, which offer infinite sequence possibilities and, therefore, engineered properties. This work examines the propensity of the GxG peptide family, where x denotes a guest residue, to self-assemble into fibril networks via changes in pH and ethanol concentration. These triggers for gelation are motivated by recent work on GHG and GAG, which unexpectedly self-assemble into centimeter long fibril networks with unique rheological properties. The propensity of GxG peptides to self-assemble, and the physical and chemical properties of the self-assembled structures are characterized by microscopy, spectroscopy, rheology, and X-ray diffraction. Interestingly, we show that the number, length, size, and morphology of the crystalline self-assembled aggregates depend significantly on the x-residue chemistry and the solution conditions, i.e. pH, temperature, peptide concentration, etc. The different x-residues allow us to probe the importance of different peptide interactions, e.g. π-π stacking, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobicity, on the formation of fibrils. We conclude that fibril formation requires π-π stacking interactions in pure water, while hydrogen bonding can form fibrils in the presence of ethanol-water solutions. These results validate and support theoretical arguments on the propensity for self-assembly and leads to a better understanding of the relationship between peptide chemistry and fibril self-assembly. Overall, GxG peptides constitute a unique family of peptides, whose characterization will aid in advancing our understanding of self-assembly driving forces for fibril formation in peptide systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavenia J Thursch
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Thamires A Lima
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Nichole O'Neill
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Fabio F Ferreira
- Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Nicolas J Alvarez
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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11
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Yadav N, Kumar U, Roopmani P, Krishnan UM, Sethuraman S, Chauhan MK, Chauhan VS. Ultrashort Peptide-Based Hydrogel for the Healing of Critical Bone Defects in Rabbits. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:54111-54126. [PMID: 36401830 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c18733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The use of hydrogels as scaffolds for three-dimensional (3D) cell growth is an active area of research in tissue engineering. Herein, we report the self-assembly of an ultrashort peptide, a tetrapeptide, Asp-Leu-IIe-IIe, the shortest peptide sequence from a highly fibrillogenic protein TDP-43, into the hydrogel. The hydrogel was mechanically strong and highly stable, with storage modulus values in MPa ranges. The hydrogel supported the proliferation and successful differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in its matrix as assessed by cell viability, calcium deposition, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and the expression of osteogenic marker gene studies. To check whether the hydrogel supports 3D growth and regeneration in in vivo conditions, a rabbit critical bone defect model was used. Micro-computed tomography (CT) and X-ray analysis demonstrated the formation of mineralized neobone in the defect areas, with significantly higher bone mineralization and relative bone densities in animals treated with the peptide hydrogel compared to nontreated and matrigel treatment groups. The ultrashort peptide-based hydrogel developed in this work holds great potential for its further development as tissue regeneration and/or engineering scaffolds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitin Yadav
- Molecular Medicine Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi110067, India
- Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Sector-3, Pushpvihar, New Delhi110017, India
| | - Utkarsh Kumar
- Molecular Medicine Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi110067, India
| | - Purandhi Roopmani
- Centre for Nanotechnology & Advanced Biomaterials, SASTRA's Hub for Research & Innovation (SHRI), School of Chemical & Biotechnology, SASTRA Deemed University, Thanjavur613401, India
| | - Uma Maheswari Krishnan
- Centre for Nanotechnology & Advanced Biomaterials, SASTRA's Hub for Research & Innovation (SHRI), School of Chemical & Biotechnology, SASTRA Deemed University, Thanjavur613401, India
| | - Swaminathan Sethuraman
- Centre for Nanotechnology & Advanced Biomaterials, SASTRA's Hub for Research & Innovation (SHRI), School of Chemical & Biotechnology, SASTRA Deemed University, Thanjavur613401, India
| | - Meenakshi K Chauhan
- Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Sector-3, Pushpvihar, New Delhi110017, India
| | - Virander S Chauhan
- Molecular Medicine Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi110067, India
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12
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Bagchi D, Maity A, De SK, Chakraborty A. Metal-Ion-Induced Evolution of Phenylalanine Self-Assembly: Structural Polymorphism of Novel Metastable Intermediates. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:10409-10417. [PMID: 36322139 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The self-assembly of aromatic amino acids has been widely studied due to their ability to form well-defined amyloid-like fibrillar structures. Herein, for the first time, we report the existence of different metastable intermediate states of diverse morphologies, for example, droplets, spheres, vesicles, flowers, and toroids, that are sequentially formed in aqueous medium during the self-assembly process of phenylalanine in the presence of different divalent (Zn2+, Cd2+, and Hg2+) and trivalent (Al3+, Ga3+, and In3+) metal ions having low pKa values. Due to metal ion-amino acid coordination and strong hydrophobic interaction induced by these metal ions, spherical aggregates are obtained at the initial stage of the structural evolution and further transformed into other intermediate states. Our work may facilitate understanding of the role of metal ions in the amino acid self-assembly process and broaden future applications of the obtained nanostructures in drug delivery, tissue engineering, bioimaging, biocatalysis, and other fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debanjan Bagchi
- Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Department of Chemistry, Indore, 453552 Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Avijit Maity
- Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Department of Chemistry, Indore, 453552 Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Soumya Kanti De
- Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Department of Chemistry, Indore, 453552 Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Anjan Chakraborty
- Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Department of Chemistry, Indore, 453552 Madhya Pradesh, India
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13
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Jayawardena BM, Peacey L, Gamsjaeger R, Jones CE. Essential Role of Histidine for Rapid Copper(II)-Mediated Disassembly of Neurokinin B Amyloid. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12111585. [PMID: 36358935 PMCID: PMC9687585 DOI: 10.3390/biom12111585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurokinin B is a tachykinin peptide involved in a diverse range of neuronal functions. It rapidly forms an amyloid, which is considered physiologically important for efficient packing into dense core secretory vesicles within hypothalamic neurons. Disassembly of the amyloid is thought to require the presence of copper ions, which interact with histidine at the third position in the peptide sequence. However, it is unclear how the histidine is involved in the amyloid structure and why copper coordination can trigger disassembly. In this work, we demonstrate that histidine contributes to the amyloid structure via π-stacking interactions with nearby phenylalanine residues. The ability of neurokinin B to form an amyloid is dependent on any aromatic residue at the third position in the sequence; however, only the presence of histidine leads to both amyloid formation and rapid copper-induced disassembly.
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14
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O'Neill N, Lima TA, Ferreira FF, Thursch L, Alvarez N, Schweitzer-Stenner R. Forbidden Secondary Structures Found in Gel-Forming Fibrils of Glycylphenylalanylglycine. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:8080-8093. [PMID: 36194765 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c05010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The zwitterionic l-tripeptide glycylphenylalanylglycine self-assembles into very long crystalline fibrils in an aqueous solution, which causes the formation of an exceptionally strong gel phase (G' ∼ 5 × 106 Pa). The Rietveld refinement analysis of its powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) pattern reveals a unit cell with four peptides forming a P212121 space group and adopting an inverse polyproline II conformation, that is, a right-handed helical structure that occupies the "forbidden" region of the Ramachandran plot. This unusual structure is stabilized by a plethora of intermolecular interactions facilitated by the large number of different functional groups of the unblocked tripeptide. Comparisons of simulated and experimental Fourier transform infrared and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) amide I' profiles corroborate the PXRD structure. Our experimental setup reduces the sample to a quasi-two-dimensional network of fibrils. We exploited the influence of this reduced dimensionality on the amide I VCD to identify the main fibril axis. We demonstrate that PXRD, vibrational spectroscopy, and amide I simulations provide a powerful toolset for secondary structure and fibril axis determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nichole O'Neill
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania19104, United States.,Department of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania19104, United States
| | - Thamires A Lima
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania19104, United States
| | - Fabio Furlan Ferreira
- Center for Natural and Human Sciences (CCNH), Federal University of ABC (UFABC), Av. Dos Estados, 5001, S622-3, Santo André, São Paulo09210-580, Brazil
| | - Lavenia Thursch
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania19104, United States
| | - Nicolas Alvarez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania19104, United States
| | - Reinhard Schweitzer-Stenner
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania19104, United States
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15
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Whey protein isolate nanofibrils formed with phosphoric acid: Formation, structural characteristics, and emulsion stability. Food Hydrocoll 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2022.108170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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16
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Kminek G, Benardini JN, Brenker FE, Brooks T, Burton AS, Dhaniyala S, Dworkin JP, Fortman JL, Glamoclija M, Grady MM, Graham HV, Haruyama J, Kieft TL, Koopmans M, McCubbin FM, Meyer MA, Mustin C, Onstott TC, Pearce N, Pratt LM, Sephton MA, Siljeström S, Sugahara H, Suzuki S, Suzuki Y, van Zuilen M, Viso M. COSPAR Sample Safety Assessment Framework (SSAF). ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:S186-S216. [PMID: 35653292 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Sample Safety Assessment Framework (SSAF) has been developed by a COSPAR appointed Working Group. The objective of the sample safety assessment would be to evaluate whether samples returned from Mars could be harmful for Earth's systems (e.g., environment, biosphere, geochemical cycles). During the Working Group's deliberations, it became clear that a comprehensive assessment to predict the effects of introducing life in new environments or ecologies is difficult and practically impossible, even for terrestrial life and certainly more so for unknown extraterrestrial life. To manage expectations, the scope of the SSAF was adjusted to evaluate only whether the presence of martian life can be excluded in samples returned from Mars. If the presence of martian life cannot be excluded, a Hold & Critical Review must be established to evaluate the risk management measures and decide on the next steps. The SSAF starts from a positive hypothesis (there is martian life in the samples), which is complementary to the null-hypothesis (there is no martian life in the samples) typically used for science. Testing the positive hypothesis includes four elements: (1) Bayesian statistics, (2) subsampling strategy, (3) test sequence, and (4) decision criteria. The test sequence capability covers self-replicating and non-self-replicating biology and biologically active molecules. Most of the investigations associated with the SSAF would need to be carried out within biological containment. The SSAF is described in sufficient detail to support planning activities for a Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) and for preparing science announcements, while at the same time acknowledging that further work is required before a detailed Sample Safety Assessment Protocol (SSAP) can be developed. The three major open issues to be addressed to optimize and implement the SSAF are (1) setting a value for the level of assurance to effectively exclude the presence of martian life in the samples, (2) carrying out an analogue test program, and (3) acquiring relevant contamination knowledge from all Mars Sample Return (MSR) flight and ground elements. Although the SSAF was developed specifically for assessing samples from Mars in the context of the currently planned NASA-ESA MSR Campaign, this framework and the basic safety approach are applicable to any other Mars sample return mission concept, with minor adjustments in the execution part related to the specific nature of the samples to be returned. The SSAF is also considered a sound basis for other COSPAR Planetary Protection Category V, restricted Earth return missions beyond Mars. It is anticipated that the SSAF will be subject to future review by the various MSR stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Kminek
- European Space Agency, Mars Exploration Group, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
| | - James N Benardini
- NASA Headquarters, Office of Planetary Protection, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Frank E Brenker
- Goethe University, Department of Geoscience, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Timothy Brooks
- UK Health Security Agency, Rare & Imported Pathogens Laboratory, Salisbury, UK
| | - Aaron S Burton
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Suresh Dhaniyala
- Clarkson University, Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Potsdam, New York, USA
| | - Jason P Dworkin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Solar System Exploration Division, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Fortman
- Security Programs, Engineering Biology Research Consortium, Emeryville, USA
| | - Mihaela Glamoclija
- Rutgers University, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Monica M Grady
- The Open University, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Heather V Graham
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Astrochemistry Laboratory, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Junichi Haruyama
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Chofu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Thomas L Kieft
- New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Biology Department, Socorro, New Mexico, USA
| | - Marion Koopmans
- Erasmus University Medical Centre, Department of Viroscience, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Francis M McCubbin
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Michael A Meyer
- NASA Headquarters, Planetary Science Division, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Tullis C Onstott
- Princeton University, Department of Geosciences, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Neil Pearce
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Department of Medical Statistics, London, UK
| | - Lisa M Pratt
- Indiana University Bloomington, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Emeritus, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Mark A Sephton
- Imperial College London, Department of Earth Science & Engineering, London, UK
| | - Sandra Siljeström
- RISE, Research Institutes of Sweden, Department of Methodology, Textiles and Medical Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Haruna Sugahara
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Sagamihara Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Shino Suzuki
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Sagamihara Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Yohey Suzuki
- University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mark van Zuilen
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Paris, France
- European Institute for Marine Studies (IUEM), CNRS-UMR6538 Laboratoire Geo-Ocean, Plouzané, France
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17
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Marchetti A, Pizzi A, Bergamaschi G, Demitri N, Stollberg U, Diederichsen U, Pigliacelli C, Metrangolo P. Fibril Structure Demonstrates the Role of Iodine Labelling on a Pentapeptide Self‐Assembly. Chemistry 2022; 28:e202104089. [PMID: 35084787 PMCID: PMC9306938 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202104089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Marchetti
- Laboratory of Supramolecular and Bio-Nanomaterials (SBNLab) Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” Politecnico di Milano Via L. Mancinelli 7 20131 Milano Italy
| | - Andrea Pizzi
- Laboratory of Supramolecular and Bio-Nanomaterials (SBNLab) Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” Politecnico di Milano Via L. Mancinelli 7 20131 Milano Italy
| | - Greta Bergamaschi
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche National Research Council of Italy Via M. Bianco 9 20131 Milano Italy
| | - Nicola Demitri
- Elettra – Sincrotrone Trieste S.S. 14 Km 163.5 in Area Science Park 34149 Basovizza Trieste Italy
| | - Ulrike Stollberg
- Institute for Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry Georg-August-University Göttingen Tammannstr. 2 37077 Göttingen Germany
| | - Ulf Diederichsen
- Institute for Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry Georg-August-University Göttingen Tammannstr. 2 37077 Göttingen Germany
| | - Claudia Pigliacelli
- Laboratory of Supramolecular and Bio-Nanomaterials (SBNLab) Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” Politecnico di Milano Via L. Mancinelli 7 20131 Milano Italy
| | - Pierangelo Metrangolo
- Laboratory of Supramolecular and Bio-Nanomaterials (SBNLab) Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” Politecnico di Milano Via L. Mancinelli 7 20131 Milano Italy
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18
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Gatto E, Toniolo C, Venanzi M. Peptide Self-Assembled Nanostructures: From Models to Therapeutic Peptides. NANOMATERIALS 2022; 12:nano12030466. [PMID: 35159810 PMCID: PMC8838750 DOI: 10.3390/nano12030466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Self-assembly is the most suitable approach to obtaining peptide-based materials on the nano- and mesoscopic scales. Applications span from peptide drugs for personalized therapy to light harvesting and electron conductive media for solar energy production and bioelectronics, respectively. In this study, we will discuss the self-assembly of selected model and bioactive peptides, in particular reviewing our recent work on the formation of peptide architectures of nano- and mesoscopic size in solution and on solid substrates. The hierarchical and cooperative characters of peptide self-assembly will be highlighted, focusing on the structural and dynamical properties of the peptide building blocks and on the nature of the intermolecular interactions driving the aggregation phenomena in a given environment. These results will pave the way for the understanding of the still-debated mechanism of action of an antimicrobial peptide (trichogin GA IV) and the pharmacokinetic properties of a peptide drug (semaglutide) currently in use for the therapy of type-II diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Gatto
- PEPSA-LAB, Department of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Rome, Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy;
| | - Claudio Toniolo
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy;
| | - Mariano Venanzi
- PEPSA-LAB, Department of Chemical Science and Technologies, University of Rome, Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-06-7259-4468
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19
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Maurya SK, Pathak SS, Panchakarla LS, Singh HB. Synthesis and Self‐Assembly of Amphiphilic Ferrocene‐Selenopeptide Conjugates. European J Org Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202101363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Harkesh B. Singh
- Indian Institute of Technology Department of Chemistry Powai 400076 Bombay INDIA
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20
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The contribution of individual residues of an aggregative hexapeptide derived from the human γD-crystallin to its amyloidogenicity. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 201:182-192. [PMID: 34998884 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.12.192] [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: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Human γD-crystallin protein is abundant in the lens and is essential for preserving lens transparency. With age the protein may lose its native structure resulting in the formation of cataract. We recently reported an aggregative peptide, 41Gly-Cys-Trp-Met-Leu-Tyr46 from the human γD-crystallin, termed GDC6, exhibiting amyloidogenic properties in vitro. Here, we aimed to determine the contribution of each residue of the GDC6 to its amyloidogenicity. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations revealed that the residues Trp, Leu, and Tyr played an important role in the amyloidogenicity of GDC6 by facilitating inter-peptide main-chain hydrogen bonds, and π-π interactions. MD predictions were further validated using single-, double- and triple-alanine-substituted GDC6 peptides in which their amyloidogenic propensity was individually evaluated using complementary biophysical techniques including Thioflavin T assay, turbidity assay, CD spectroscopy, and TEM imaging. Results revealed that the substitution of Trp, Leu, and Tyr together by Ala completely abolished aggregation of GDC6 in vitro, highlighting their importance in the amyloidogenicity of GDC6.
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21
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Orr AA, Chen Y, Gazit E, Tamamis P. Computational and Experimental Protocols to Study Cyclo-dihistidine Self- and Co-assembly: Minimalistic Bio-assemblies with Enhanced Fluorescence and Drug Encapsulation Properties. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2405:179-203. [PMID: 35298815 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1855-4_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Our published studies on the self- and co-assembly of cyclo-HH peptides demonstrated their capacity to coordinate with Zn(II), their enhanced photoluminescence and their ability to self-encapsulate epirubicin, a chemotherapy drug. Here, we provide a detailed description of computational and experimental methodology for the study of cyclo-HH self- and co-assembling mechanisms, photoluminescence, and drug encapsulation properties. We outline the experimental protocols, which involve fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy protocols, as well as the computational protocols, which involve structural and energetic analysis of the assembled nanostructures. We suggest that the computational and experimental methods presented here can be generalizable, and thus can be applied in the investigation of self- and co-assembly systems involving other short peptides, encapsulating compounds and binding to ions, beyond the particular ones presented here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asuka A Orr
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ehud Gazit
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Phanourios Tamamis
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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22
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Zabrodskaya YA, Shvetsov AV, Garmay YP, Lebedev DV, Dattani R, Egorov VV. Supramolecular Complexes of Tetrapeptides Capable of Inducing the Human α-Lactalbumin β-Domain Conformational Transitions. CRYSTALLOGR REP+ 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s1063774521050254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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23
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Janković P, Šantek I, Pina AS, Kalafatovic D. Exploiting Peptide Self-Assembly for the Development of Minimalistic Viral Mimetics. Front Chem 2021; 9:723473. [PMID: 34395387 PMCID: PMC8355586 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.723473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses are natural supramolecular nanostructures that form spontaneously by molecular self-assembly of complex biomolecules. Peptide self-assembly is a versatile tool that allows mimicking viruses by creating their simplified versions through the design of functional, supramolecular materials with modularity, tunability, and responsiveness to chemical and physical stimuli. The main challenge in the design and fabrication of peptide materials is related to the precise control between the peptide sequence and its resulting supramolecular morphology. We provide an overview of existing sequence patterns employed for the development of spherical and fibrillar peptide assemblies that can act as viral mimetics, offering the opportunity to tackle the challenges of viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Iva Šantek
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Ana Sofia Pina
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal
- UCIBIO – Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Caparica, Portugal
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24
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Hesser M, Thursch LJ, Lewis TR, Lima TA, Alvarez NJ, Schweitzer-Stenner R. Concentration Dependence of a Hydrogel Phase Formed by the Deprotonation of the Imidazole Side Chain of Glycylhistidylglycine. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:6935-6946. [PMID: 34077210 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c00382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Upon deprotonation of its imidazole group at ∼pH 6, the unblocked tripeptide glycylhistidylglycine (GHG) self-assembles into very long crystalline fibrils on a 10-1000 μm scale which are capable of forming a volume spanning network, that is, hydrogel. The critical peptide concentration for self-assembly at a pH of 6 lies between 50 and 60 mM. The fraction of peptides that self-assemble into fibrils depends on the concentration of deprotonated GHG. While IR spectra seem to indicate the formation of fibrils with standard amyloid fibril β-sheet structures, vibrational circular dichroism spectra show a strongly enhanced amide I' signal, suggesting that the formed fibrils exhibit significant chirality. The fibril chirality appears to be a function of peptide concentration. Rheological measurements reveal that the rate of gelation is concentration-dependent and that there is an optimum gel strength at intermediate peptide concentrations of ca. 175 mM. This paper outlines the unique properties of the GHG gel phase which is underlain by a surprisingly dense fibril network with an exceptionally strong modulus that make them potential additives for biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Hesser
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Lavenia J Thursch
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Todd R Lewis
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Thamires A Lima
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Nicolas J Alvarez
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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25
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Florio D, Di Natale C, Scognamiglio PL, Leone M, La Manna S, Di Somma S, Netti PA, Malfitano AM, Marasco D. Self-assembly of bio-inspired heterochiral peptides. Bioorg Chem 2021; 114:105047. [PMID: 34098256 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.105047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Peptide hydrogels, deriving from natural protein fragments, present unique advantages as compatibility and low cost of production that allow their wide application in different fields as wound healing, cell delivery and tissue regeneration. To engineer new biomaterials, the change of the chirality of single amino acids demonstrated a powerful approach to modulate the self-assembly mechanism. Recently we unveiled that a small stretch spanning residues 268-273 in the C-terminal domain (CTD) of Nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) is an amyloid sequence. Herein, we performed a systematic D-scan of this sequence and analyzed the structural properties of obtained peptides. The conformational and kinetic features of self-aggregates and the morphologies of derived microstructures were investigated by means of different biophysical techniques, as well as the compatibility of hydrogels was evaluated in HeLa cells. All the investigated hexapeptides formed hydrogels even if they exhibited different conformational intermediates during aggregation, and they structural featured are finely tuned by introduced chiralities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Florio
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy
| | - Concetta Di Natale
- Center for Advanced Biomaterial for Health Care (CABHC), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Naples, Italy; Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biomaterials (CRIB), Department of Ingegneria Chimica del Materiali e della Produzione Industriale (DICMAPI), University "Federico II", Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
| | - Pasqualina Liana Scognamiglio
- Center for Advanced Biomaterial for Health Care (CABHC), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Naples, Italy; Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biomaterials (CRIB), Department of Ingegneria Chimica del Materiali e della Produzione Industriale (DICMAPI), University "Federico II", Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
| | - Marilisa Leone
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging - CNR, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | - Sara La Manna
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy
| | - Sarah Di Somma
- Department of Translational Medical Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Paolo Antonio Netti
- Center for Advanced Biomaterial for Health Care (CABHC), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Naples, Italy; Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Biomaterials (CRIB), Department of Ingegneria Chimica del Materiali e della Produzione Industriale (DICMAPI), University "Federico II", Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Malfitano
- Department of Translational Medical Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Daniela Marasco
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy.
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26
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Misra S, Singh P, Mahata RN, Brandão P, Roy S, Mahapatra AK, Nanda J. Supramolecular Antiparallel β-Sheet Formation by Tetrapeptides Based on Amyloid Sequence. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:4274-4285. [PMID: 33886330 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c10920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Self-assembly of short peptides has emerged as an interesting research field for a wide range of applications. Recently, several truncated fragments of long-chain peptides or proteins responsible for different neurodegenerative diseases were studied to understand whether they can mimic the property and function of native peptides or not. It was reported that such a kind of peptide adopts a β-sheet structure in the disease state. It was observed that aromatic amino acid-rich peptide fragments possess a high tendency to adopt a β-sheet conformation. In this article, we are first time reporting the crystal structure of two tetrapeptides: Boc-GAII-OMe (Peptide 1) and Boc-GGVV-OMe (Peptide 2), composed of aliphatic amino acids, and the sequences are similar to the Aβ-peptide fragments Aβ29-32 and Aβ37-40 , respectively. In the solid-state, they are self-assembled in an antiparallel β-sheet fashion. The peptide units are connected by the strong amide hydrogen-bonding (N-H···O) interactions. Apart from that, other noncovalent interactions are also present, which help to stabilize the cross-β-sheet arrangement. Interestingly, in the crystal structure of Peptide 1, noncovalent C···C interaction between the electron-deficient carbonyl carbon, and the electron-rich sp3-carbon atom is observed, which is quite rare in the literature. The calculated torsion angles for these peptides are lying in the β-sheet region of the Ramachandran plot. FT-IR studies also indicate the formation of an antiparallel β-sheet structure in the solid-state. Circular dichroism of the peptides in the aqueous solution also suggests the presence of predominantly β-sheet-like conformation in the aqueous solution. Under cross-polarized light, Congo Red stained both peptides showed green-gold color due to birefringence indicating their amyloidogenic nature. This result indicates that the short peptide composed of aliphatic amino acid is capable of forming a β-sheet structure in the absence of aromatic amino acid and also can mimic the function of the native amyloid peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Souvik Misra
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, P.O.-Botanic Garden, Howrah-711103, West Bengal, India
| | - Pijush Singh
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal, India
| | - Rabindra Nath Mahata
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, P.O.-Botanic Garden, Howrah-711103, West Bengal, India
| | - Paula Brandão
- Departamento de Química/CICECO, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Subhasish Roy
- Department of Chemistry, BITS-Pilani K. K. Birla Goa Campus, 433 Sancoale, Goa 403726, India
| | - Ajit K Mahapatra
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, P.O.-Botanic Garden, Howrah-711103, West Bengal, India
| | - Jayanta Nanda
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Bengal, Raja Rammohunpur, P.O.-NBU campus, Darjeeling-734013, West Bengal, India
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27
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Kshtriya V, Koshti B, Pandey DK, Kharbanda S, Kanth P C, Singh DK, Bhatia D, Gour N. Sequential and cellular detection of copper and lactic acid by disaggregation and reaggregation of the fluorescent panchromatic fibres of an acylthiourea based sensor. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:4304-4316. [PMID: 33908562 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00038a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We report, for the first time, the self-assembly of an acyl-thiourea based sensor, N-{(6-methoxy-pyridine-2-yl) carbamothioyl}benzamide (NG1), with panchromatic fluorescent fibres and its dual-sensing properties for the sequential detection of Cu2+ ions and lactic acid. The panchromatic fibres formed by NG1 were disrupted in the presence of Cu2+ ions and this was accompanied by a visible colour change in the solution from colourless to yellow. The addition of lactic acid to the NG1 + Cu2+ solution, on the other hand, induced re-aggregation to fibrillar structures and the colour of the solution again changed to colourless. Hence, it may be surmised that the disaggregation and re-aggregation impart unique dual-sensing properties to NG1 for the sequential detection of Cu2+ ions and lactic acid. The application of NG1 as a selective sensor for Cu2+ ions and lactic acid has been assessed in detail by UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, two structural variants of NG1, namely, NG2 and NG3, were synthesized, which suggest the crucial role of pyridine in imparting panchromatic emission properties and of both pyridine and acyl-thiourea side chain in the binding of Cu2+ ions. The O-methoxy group plays an important part in making NG1 the most sensitive probe of its structural analogs. Finally, the utility of NG1 for the sequential and cellular detection of Cu2+ ions and lactic acid was studied in human RPE cells. The experimental results of the interaction of NG1 with Cu2+ ions and lactic acid have also been validated theoretically by using quantum chemical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report wherein a dual sensor for Cu2+ ions and lactate ions is synthesized. More importantly, the aggregation properties of the sensor have been studied extensively and an interesting correlation of the photophysical properties of the probe with its self-assembling behavior has been elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivekshinh Kshtriya
- Department of Chemistry, Indrashil University, Kadi, Mehsana, Gujarat 382740, India.
| | - Bharti Koshti
- Department of Chemistry, Indrashil University, Kadi, Mehsana, Gujarat 382740, India.
| | - Deepak K Pandey
- Department of Basic Sciences, Institute of Infrastructure Technology Research and Management, Ahmedabad, 380026, India
| | - Sumit Kharbanda
- Biological Engineering Discipline and Center for Biomedical Research, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj 382355, Gandhinagar, India
| | - Chandra Kanth P
- Department of Science, School of Technology, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
| | - Dheeraj K Singh
- Department of Basic Sciences, Institute of Infrastructure Technology Research and Management, Ahmedabad, 380026, India
| | - Dhiraj Bhatia
- Biological Engineering Discipline and Center for Biomedical Research, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj 382355, Gandhinagar, India
| | - Nidhi Gour
- Department of Chemistry, Indrashil University, Kadi, Mehsana, Gujarat 382740, India.
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28
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Kanchi PK, Dasmahapatra AK. Enhancing the binding of the β-sheet breaker peptide LPFFD to the amyloid-β fibrils by aromatic modifications: A molecular dynamics simulation study. Comput Biol Chem 2021; 92:107471. [PMID: 33706107 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2021.107471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's is a fatal neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure at present. The disease is characterized by the presence of plaques in the brains of a patient, which are composed mainly of aggregates of the amyloid-β peptide in the form of β-sheet fibrils. Here, we investigated the possibility of exploiting the superior binding ability of aromatic amino acids to a particular model of the amyloid-β fibrils. which is a difficult target for drug design. The β-sheet breaker peptide LPFFD was modified with aromatic amino acids and its binding to these fibrils was studied. We found that the orientation and the electrostatic complementarity of the modified peptide with respect to the fibrils played a crucial role in determining whether its binding was improved by the aromatic amino acids. The modified LPFFD peptides were able to bind to those fibril residues. which are important in the aggregation of amyloid-β peptides and thus can potentially inhibit the further aggregation of the amyloid-beta peptides by blocking their interactions. We found that the tryptophan modified LPFFD peptides had the best binding affinities. In most cases, the aromatic amino acids in the N-terminus of the modified peptides made more contacts with the fibrils than those in the C-terminus. We also found that increasing the aromatic content did not significantly improve the binding of the LPFFD peptide to the fibrils. Our study can serve as a basis for the design of novel peptide-based drugs for Alzheimer's disease in which aromatic interactions play an important role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavan Krishna Kanchi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India
| | - Ashok Kumar Dasmahapatra
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India; Center for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India.
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29
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Balasco N, Diaferia C, Morelli G, Vitagliano L, Accardo A. Amyloid-Like Aggregation in Diseases and Biomaterials: Osmosis of Structural Information. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:641372. [PMID: 33748087 PMCID: PMC7966729 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.641372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery that the polypeptide chain has a remarkable and intrinsic propensity to form amyloid-like aggregates endowed with an extraordinary stability is one of the most relevant breakthroughs of the last decades in both protein/peptide chemistry and structural biology. This observation has fundamental implications, as the formation of these assemblies is systematically associated with the insurgence of severe neurodegenerative diseases. Although the ability of proteins to form aggregates rich in cross-β structure has been highlighted by recent studies of structural biology, the determination of the underlying atomic models has required immense efforts and inventiveness. Interestingly, the progressive molecular and structural characterization of these assemblies has opened new perspectives in apparently unrelated fields. Indeed, the self-assembling through the cross-β structure has been exploited to generate innovative biomaterials endowed with promising mechanical and spectroscopic properties. Therefore, this structural motif has become the fil rouge connecting these diversified research areas. In the present review, we report a chronological recapitulation, also performing a survey of the structural content of the Protein Data Bank, of the milestones achieved over the years in the characterization of cross-β assemblies involved in the insurgence of neurodegenerative diseases. A particular emphasis is given to the very recent successful elucidation of amyloid-like aggregates characterized by remarkable molecular and structural complexities. We also review the state of the art of the structural characterization of cross-β based biomaterials by highlighting the benefits of the osmosis of information between these two research areas. Finally, we underline the new promising perspectives that recent successful characterizations of disease-related amyloid-like assemblies can open in the biomaterial field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Balasco
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), CNR, Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Diaferia
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB), University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Morelli
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB), University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), CNR, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonella Accardo
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB), University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
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30
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Dhembla C, Arya R, Kumar A, Kundu S, Sundd M. L. major apo-acyl carrier protein forms ordered aggregates due to an exposed phenylalanine, while phosphopantetheine inhibits aggregation in the holo-form. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 179:144-153. [PMID: 33667556 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.02.215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
L. major acyl carrier protein (ACP) is a mitochondrial protein, involved in fatty acid biosynthesis. The protein is expressed as an apo-protein, and post-translationally modified at Ser 37 by a 4'-Phosphopantetheinyl transferase. Crystal structure of the apo-form of the protein at pH 5.5 suggests a four helix bundle fold, typical of ACP's. However, upon lowering the pH to 5.0, it undergoes a conformational transition from α-helix to β-sheet, and displays amyloid like properties. When left for a few days at room temperature at this pH, the protein forms fibrils, visible under Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Using an approach combining NMR, biophysical techniques, and mutagenesis, we have identified a Phe residue present on helix II of ACP, liable for this change. Phosphopantetheinylation of LmACP, or mutation of Phe 45 to the corresponding residue in E. coli ACP (methionine), slows down the conformational change. Conversely, substitution of methionine 44 of E. coli ACP with a phenylalanine, causes enhanced ThT binding. Thus, we demonstrate the unique property of an exposed Phe in inducing, and phophopantetheine in inhibiting amyloidogenesis. Taken together, our study adds L. major acyl carrier protein to the list of ACPs that act as pH sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chetna Dhembla
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110 021, India
| | - Richa Arya
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110 021, India
| | - Ambrish Kumar
- National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India
| | - Suman Kundu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110 021, India
| | - Monica Sundd
- National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India.
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31
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Thursch LJ, Lima TA, Schweitzer-Stenner R, Alvarez NJ. The impact of thermal history on the structure of glycylalanylglycine ethanol/water gels. J Pept Sci 2021; 27:e3305. [PMID: 33619869 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
This work revisits several open questions regarding the mechanisms of GAG fibril formation and structure as a function of temperature. The authors recently hypothesized that there is a solubility limit of GAG in ethanol/water that induces self-assembly. In other words, not all peptides can participate in fibrillization and some fraction is still soluble in solution. We show via FTIR spectroscopy that, indeed, free peptides are still present in solution after fibril formation, strongly supporting the solubility model. Furthermore, previous work showed GAG self-assembled into right-handed (phase I) or left-handed (phase II) chiral structures depending on temperature. In this study, we analyze the crystalline structure of phase I and II gels via WAXS and SAXS to compare their crystalline structures and order. Rheological measurements were used to investigate the response of the fibrillar network to temperature. They reveal that the ability of the peptide to self-assemble depends on the solubility at a given temperature and not on thermal history. Furthermore, the gel softening point, the linear viscoelastic gel microstructure, and relaxation spectrum are very similar between phase I and phase II. Overall, the temperature only affects the chirality of the fibrils and the formation kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavenia J Thursch
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Thamires A Lima
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Nicolas J Alvarez
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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32
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Paul A, Viswanathan GK, Huber A, Arad E, Engel H, Jelinek R, Gazit E, Segal D. Inhibition of tau amyloid formation and disruption of its preformed fibrils by Naphthoquinone-Dopamine hybrid. FEBS J 2021; 288:4267-4290. [PMID: 33523571 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 01/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Misfolding and aggregation of tau protein, into pathological amyloids, are hallmarks of a group of neurodegenerative diseases collectively termed tauopathies and their modulation may be therapeutically valuable. Herein, we describe the synthesis and characterization of a dopamine-based hybrid molecule, naphthoquinone-dopamine (NQDA). Using thioflavin S assay, CD, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Congo Red birefringence, and large unilamellar vesicle leakage assays, we demonstrated its efficacy in inhibiting the in vitro aggregation of key tau-derived amyloidogenic fragments, PHF6 (VQIVYK) and PHF6* (VQIINK), prime drivers of aggregation of full-length tau in disease pathology. Isothermal titration calorimetry analysis revealed that the interaction between NQDA and PHF6 is spontaneous and has significant binding efficiency driven by both entropic and enthalpic processes. Furthermore, NQDA efficiently disassembled preformed fibrils of PHF6 and PHF6* into nontoxic species. Molecular dynamic simulations supported the in vitro results and provided a plausible mode of binding of NQDA with PHF6 fibril. NQDA was also capable of inhibiting the aggregation of full-length tau protein and disrupting its preformed fibrils in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. In a comparative study, the IC50 value (50% inhibition of fibril formation) of NQDA in inhibiting the aggregation of PHF6 (25 µm) was ~ 17 µm, which is lower than for other bona fide amyloid inhibitors, naphthoquinone-tryptophan, rosmarinic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, ~ 21, ~ 77, or ~ 19 µm, respectively. Comparable superiority of NQDA was observed for inhibition of PHF6*. These findings suggest that NQDA can be a useful scaffold for designing new therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashim Paul
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Guru KrishnaKumar Viswanathan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Adi Huber
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Elad Arad
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology & Department of Chemistry, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Hamutal Engel
- Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Raz Jelinek
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology & Department of Chemistry, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Ehud Gazit
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Israel.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Daniel Segal
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Israel.,Sagol Interdisciplinary School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel
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33
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Venko K, Novič M, Stoka V, Žerovnik E. Prediction of Transmembrane Regions, Cholesterol, and Ganglioside Binding Sites in Amyloid-Forming Proteins Indicate Potential for Amyloid Pore Formation. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:619496. [PMID: 33642992 PMCID: PMC7902868 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.619496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Besides amyloid fibrils, amyloid pores (APs) represent another mechanism of amyloid induced toxicity. Since hypothesis put forward by Arispe and collegues in 1993 that amyloid-beta makes ion-conducting channels and that Alzheimer's disease may be due to the toxic effect of these channels, many studies have confirmed that APs are formed by prefibrillar oligomers of amyloidogenic proteins and are a common source of cytotoxicity. The mechanism of pore formation is still not well-understood and the structure and imaging of APs in living cells remains an open issue. To get closer to understand AP formation we used predictive methods to assess the propensity of a set of 30 amyloid-forming proteins (AFPs) to form transmembrane channels. A range of amino-acid sequence tools were applied to predict AP domains of AFPs, and provided context on future experiments that are needed in order to contribute toward a deeper understanding of amyloid toxicity. In a set of 30 AFPs we predicted their amyloidogenic propensity, presence of transmembrane (TM) regions, and cholesterol (CBM) and ganglioside binding motifs (GBM), to which the oligomers likely bind. Noteworthy, all pathological AFPs share the presence of TM, CBM, and GBM regions, whereas the functional amyloids seem to show just one of these regions. For comparative purposes, we also analyzed a few examples of amyloid proteins that behave as biologically non-relevant AFPs. Based on the known experimental data on the β-amyloid and α-synuclein pore formation, we suggest that many AFPs have the potential for pore formation. Oligomerization and α-TM helix to β-TM strands transition on lipid rafts seem to be the common key events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Venko
- Theory Department, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marjana Novič
- Theory Department, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Veronika Stoka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Structural Biology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Eva Žerovnik
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Structural Biology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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34
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Levin A, Hakala TA, Schnaider L, Bernardes GJL, Gazit E, Knowles TPJ. Biomimetic peptide self-assembly for functional materials. Nat Rev Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1038/s41570-020-0215-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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35
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Levine MS, Ghosh M, Hesser M, Hennessy N, DiGuiseppi DM, Adler-Abramovich L, Schweitzer-Stenner R. Formation of peptide-based oligomers in dimethylsulfoxide: identifying the precursor of fibril formation. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:7860-7868. [PMID: 32761042 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00035c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The well-studied dipeptide fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-di-phenylalanine (FmocFF) forms a rigid hydrogel upon dissolving in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and dilution in H2O. Here, we explored the pre-aggregation of the peptide in pure DMSO by vibrational spectroscopies, X-ray powder diffraction and dynamic light scattering. Our results show an equilibrium between a dominant population of amorphous oligomers (on a length scale of 2 nm) and a small number of protofibrils/fibrils (on a length scale of 30 nm in the centimolar and of 200 nm in the sub-molar region). To probe the mechanism underlying the formation of these protofilaments, we measured the 1H-NMR, IR and visible Raman spectra of DMSO containing different FmocFF concentrations, ranging between 10 and 300 mM. Our data reveal that interpeptide hydrogen bonding leads to the self-assembly of FmocFF in the centimolar region, while π-π stacking between Fmoc-groups is observed above 100 mM. The high 3J(HNHCα) coupling constant of the N-terminal amide proton indicates that the Fmoc end-cap of the peptide locks the N-terminal residue into a conformational ensemble centered at a φ-value of ca. -120°, which corresponds to a parallel β-sheet type conformation. The 3J(HNHCα) coupling constant of the C-terminal residue is indicative of a polyproline II (pPII)/βt mixture. Our results suggest that the gelation of FmocFF caused by the addition of a small amount of water to DMSO mixtures is facilitated by the formation of disordered protofibrils in pure DMSO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S Levine
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Moumita Ghosh
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
| | - Morgan Hesser
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Nathan Hennessy
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Sheffield, Brook Hill, Sheffield S3 7HF, United Kingdom
| | - David M DiGuiseppi
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Lihi Adler-Abramovich
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
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36
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Rissanou AN, Simatos G, Siachouli P, Harmandaris V, Mitraki A. Self-assembly of Alanine-Isoleucine and Isoleucine-Isoleucine Dipeptides through Atomistic Simulations and Experiments. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:7102-7114. [PMID: 32697595 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c03025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A detailed investigation of the structural and conformational properties of alanine-isoleucine (Ala-Ile) and isoleucine-isoleucine (Ile-Ile) dipeptides is presented in water and in methanol solvents. We propose a consistent combination of complementary simulation and experimental methods, covering a broad range of length and time scales, from the very short (i.e., atomic level), via all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, up to the macroscopic one, via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) experiments. The examined samples from both simulations and experiment cover a board range of concentrations since these are usually in different concentration windows (i.e., high values in simulations vs low values in experiments). In the present study, there is an overlapping concentration regime and a qualitative agreement between simulation and experimental results is observed. The effect of temperature on the formed structures is found to be small, from both simulation and experiments, when temperature varies from 278 to 300 K. Furthermore, the differences of Ala-Ile and Ile-Ile dipeptides from dialanine (Ala-Ala) and diphenylalanine (Phe-Phe) dipeptides in similar conditions are highlighted. Based on various measures, the strength of the self-assembly propensity of the four dipeptides in aqueous solutions attains the following order: Phe-Phe > Ala-Ile > Ala-Ala > Ile-Ile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastassia N Rissanou
- Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics (IACM), Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, (FORTH), IACM/FORTH, GR-70013 Heraklion, Greece.,Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Crete, GR-70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Georgios Simatos
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, GR-70013 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Panagiota Siachouli
- Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Crete, GR-70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Vagelis Harmandaris
- Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics (IACM), Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, (FORTH), IACM/FORTH, GR-70013 Heraklion, Greece.,Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Crete, GR-70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.,Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 2121, Cyprus
| | - Anna Mitraki
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, GR-70013 Heraklion, Greece.,Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, (IESL)-FORTH, 70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
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37
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DiGuiseppi DM, Thursch L, Alvarez NJ, Schweitzer-Stenner R. Exploring the gel phase of cationic glycylalanylglycine in ethanol/water. II. Spectroscopic, kinetic and thermodynamic studies. J Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 573:123-134. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.03.108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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38
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Prasad Dewangan R, Kumari S, Kumar Mahto A, Jain A, Pasha S. Self assembly and hydrogelation of N-terminal modified tetrapeptide for sustained release and synergistic action of antibacterial drugs against methicillin resistant S. aureus. Bioorg Chem 2020; 102:104052. [PMID: 32659487 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2020.104052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Self assembly is a ubiquitous process of complex bio-molecules to perform various biological functions. This bottom-up approach applies in engineering of various nanostructures in different technological and biomedical applications. Here we report design and synthesis of phenolic acid conjugated tetra peptides which self assembled in uniform nanofibrils upon dissolution in aqueous solutions at physiological pH and formed stiff and transparent hydrogel. Gel inversion assay, HR-TEM, FT-IR, CD spectroscopy and rheometric analysis characterized the developed hydrogel (HG-2). This gel exhibits characteristics of thixotropy and injectability. Structure-gelation relationship studies of peptide revealed the importance of π-π interactions in self assembly and hydrogelation. Further, this hydrogel used for entrapment and sustained release of antibiotics, rifampicin and ciprofloxacin at physiological pH and temperature for 5 days. The hydrogelator peptide has shown moderate antibacterial activity alone, whereas in combination with rifampicin and ciprofloxacin showed a remarkable synergistic antibacterial activity against clinically relevant multidrug resistant methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Interestingly, this hydrogel neither cause significant damage to hRBCsnor to human keratinocyte up to hydrogelation concentrations tested by haemolytic and MTT assay. These characteristics of present peptide hold future promising soft materials for treatment of infections and drug delivery applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rikeshwer Prasad Dewangan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (SPER), Jamia Hamdard (Deemed to be University), New Delhi 110062, India.
| | - Shalini Kumari
- CSIR- Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110007, India
| | - Aman Kumar Mahto
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (SPER), Jamia Hamdard (Deemed to be University), New Delhi 110062, India
| | - Aditi Jain
- CSIR- Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110007, India
| | - Santosh Pasha
- CSIR- Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Mall Road, Delhi 110007, India
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39
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Structure-based machine-guided mapping of amyloid sequence space reveals uncharted sequence clusters with higher solubilities. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3314. [PMID: 32620861 PMCID: PMC7335209 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17207-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The amyloid conformation can be adopted by a variety of sequences, but the precise boundaries of amyloid sequence space are still unclear. The currently charted amyloid sequence space is strongly biased towards hydrophobic, beta-sheet prone sequences that form the core of globular proteins and by Q/N/Y rich yeast prions. Here, we took advantage of the increasing amount of high-resolution structural information on amyloid cores currently available in the protein databank to implement a machine learning approach, named Cordax (https://cordax.switchlab.org), that explores amyloid sequence beyond its current boundaries. Clustering by t-Distributed Stochastic Neighbour Embedding (t-SNE) shows how our approach resulted in an expansion away from hydrophobic amyloid sequences towards clusters of lower aliphatic content and higher charge, or regions of helical and disordered propensities. These clusters uncouple amyloid propensity from solubility representing sequence flavours compatible with surface-exposed patches in globular proteins, functional amyloids or sequences associated to liquid-liquid phase transitions. An increasing number of amyloid structures are determined. Here, the authors present the structure-based amyloid core sequence prediction method Cordax that is based on machine learning and allows the detection of aggregation-prone regions with higher solubility, disorder and surface exposure, and furthermore predicts the structural topology, orientation and overall architecture of the resulting putative fibril core.
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Hesser M, Thursch L, Lewis T, DiGuiseppi D, Alvarez NJ, Schweitzer-Stenner R. The tripeptide GHG as an unexpected hydrogelator triggered by imidazole deprotonation. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:4110-4114. [PMID: 32322858 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00224k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The tripeptide glycyl-histidyl-glycine (GHG) self-assembles into long, crystalline fibrils forming a strong hydrogel (G'∼ 50 kPa) above a critical concentration of 40 mM upon the deprotonation of its imidazole group. Spectroscopic data reveal a mixture of helically twisted β-sheets and monomers to coexist in the gel phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Hesser
- Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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41
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Shankar S, Singh G, Rahim JU, Qayum A, Sharma PR, Katoch M, Rai R. Investigation of α/γ hybrid peptide self-assembled structures with antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties. J Pept Sci 2020; 26:e3243. [PMID: 32153090 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The present work describes the synthesis and characterization of α/γ hybrid peptides, Boc-Phe-γ4 -Phe-Val-OMe, P1; Boc-Ala-γ4 -Phe-Val-OMe, P2; and Boc-Leu-γ4 -Phe-Val-OMe, P3 together with the formation of self-assembled structures formed by these hybrid peptides in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/water (1:1). The self-assembled structures were characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further, α/γ hybrid peptide self-assembled structures were evaluated for antibacterial properties. Among all, the self-assembled peptide P1 exhibited the antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, while self-assembled peptide P3 inhibited the biofilms of Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In this study, we have shown the significance of self-assembled structures formed from completely hydrophobic α/γ hybrid peptides in exploring the antibacterial properties together with biofilm inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudha Shankar
- Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Gurpreet Singh
- Microbial Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Junaid Ur Rahim
- Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Arem Qayum
- Cancer Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India
| | - Parduman R Sharma
- Cancer Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India
| | - Meenu Katoch
- Microbial Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Rajkishor Rai
- Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
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42
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Exploring the gel phase of cationic glycylalanylglycine in ethanol/water. I. Rheology and microscopy studies. J Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 564:499-509. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2019.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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43
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Martins IC, Santos NC. Intrinsically disordered protein domains in flavivirus infection. Arch Biochem Biophys 2020; 683:108298. [PMID: 32045581 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2020.108298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered protein regions are at the core of biological processes and involved in key protein-ligand interactions. The Flavivirus proteins, of viruses of great biomedical importance such as Zika and dengue viruses, exemplify this. Several proteins of these viruses have disordered regions that are of the utmost importance for biological activity. Disordered proteins can adopt several conformations, each able to interact with and/or bind to different ligands. In fact, such interactions can help stabilize a particular fold. Moreover, by being promiscuous in the number of target molecules they can bind to, these protein regions increase the number of functions that their small proteome (10 proteins) can achieve. A folding energy waterfall better describes the protein folding landscape of these proteins. A disordered protein can be thought as rolling down the folding energy cascade, in order "to fall, fold and function". This is the case of many viral protein regions, as seen in the flaviviruses proteome. Given their small size, flaviviruses are a good model system for understanding the role of intrinsically disordered protein regions in viral function. Finally, studying these viruses disordered protein regions will certainly contribute to the development of therapeutic approaches against such promising (yet challenging) targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivo C Martins
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Nuno C Santos
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
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44
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Zou P, Chen WT, Sun T, Gao Y, Li LL, Wang H. Recent advances: peptides and self-assembled peptide-nanosystems for antimicrobial therapy and diagnosis. Biomater Sci 2020; 8:4975-4996. [DOI: 10.1039/d0bm00789g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial infections, especially the refractory treatment of drug-resistant bacteria, are one of the greatest threats to human health. Self-assembling peptide-based strategies can specifically detect the bacteria at the site of infection in the body and kill it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Zou
- CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST)
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Wen-Ting Chen
- Department of Chemistry and the Department of Physics and Astronomy
- University of Waterloo
- Waterloo
- Canada
| | - Tongyi Sun
- School of Life Science and Technology
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Proteins and Peptides Pharmaceutical Engineering
- Shandong Universities Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceuticals
- Weifang Medical University
- Weifang
| | - Yuanyuan Gao
- School of Pharmacy
- Weifang Medical University
- Weifang
- China
| | - Li-Li Li
- CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST)
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Hao Wang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST)
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
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45
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To T, Mizusaki H, Murai A, Matsugami M, Takamuku T. Conformational change of L-phenylalanine in fluorinated alcohol-water mixed solvents studied by IR, NMR, and MD simulations. J Mol Liq 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2019.111192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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46
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Pizzi A, Catalano L, Demitri N, Dichiarante V, Terraneo G, Metrangolo P. Halogen bonding as a key interaction in the self‐assembly of iodinated diphenylalanine peptides. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Pizzi
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”Politecnico di Milano Via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milano Italy
| | - Luca Catalano
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”Politecnico di Milano Via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milano Italy
| | - Nicola Demitri
- Elettra‐Sincrotrone Trieste, S.S. 14 Km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34149 Basovizza Trieste Italy
| | - Valentina Dichiarante
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”Politecnico di Milano Via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milano Italy
| | - Giancarlo Terraneo
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”Politecnico di Milano Via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milano Italy
| | - Pierangelo Metrangolo
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”Politecnico di Milano Via Luigi Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milano Italy
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Szała B, Molski A. Aggregation kinetics of short peptides: All-atom and coarse-grained molecular dynamics study. Biophys Chem 2019; 253:106219. [PMID: 31301554 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2019.106219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Peptides can aggregate into ordered structures with different morphologies. The aggregation mechanism and evolving structures are the subject of intense research. In this paper we have used molecular dynamics to examine the sequence-dependence of aggregation kinetics for three short peptides: octaalanine (Ala8), octaasparagine (Asn8), and the heptapeptide GNNQQNY (abbreviated as GNN). First, we compared the aggregation of 20 randomly distributed peptides using the coarse-grained MARTINI force field and the atomistic OPLS-AA force field. We found that the MARTINI and OPLS-AA aggregation kinetics are similar for Ala8, Asn8, and GNN. Second, we used the MARTINI force field to study the early stages of aggregation kinetics for a larger system with 72 peptides. In the initial stage of aggregation small clusters grow by monomer addition. In the second stage, when the free monomers are depleted, the dominant cluster growth path is cluster-cluster coalescence. We quantified the aggregation kinetics in terms of rate equations. Our study shows that the initial aggregation kinetics are similar for Ala8, Asn8, and GNN but the molecular details can be different, especially for MARTINI Ala8. We hypothesize that peptide aggregation proceed in two steps. In the first step amorphous aggregates are formed, and then, in the second step, they reorganize into ordered structures. We conclude that sequence-specific differences show up in the second step of aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Szała
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Faculty of Chemistry, Umultowska 89b, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Andrzej Molski
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Faculty of Chemistry, Umultowska 89b, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
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Martial B, Lefèvre T, Buffeteau T, Auger M. Vibrational Circular Dichroism Reveals Supramolecular Chirality Inversion of α-Synuclein Peptide Assemblies upon Interactions with Anionic Membranes. ACS NANO 2019; 13:3232-3242. [PMID: 30811930 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b08932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder caused by the aggregation of α-synuclein (AS). This amyloid protein contains a 12-residue-long segment, AS71-82, that triggers AS pathological aggregation. This peptide is then essential to better understand the polymorphism and the dynamics of formation of AS fibrillar structures. In this work, vibrational circular dichroism showed that AS71-82 is random coil in solution and forms parallel β-sheet fibrillar aggregates in the presence of anionic vesicles. Vibrational circular dichroism, with transmission electronic microscopy, revealed that the fibrillar structures exhibit a nanoscale tape-like morphology with a preferential supramolecular helicity. Whereas the structure handedness of some other amyloid peptides has been shown to be driven by pH, that of AS71-82 is controlled by peptide concentration and peptide-to-lipid (P:L) molar ratio. At low concentrations and low P:L molar ratios, AS71-82 assemblies have a left-twisted handedness, whereas at high concentrations and high P:L ratios, a right-twisted handedness is adopted. Left-twisted assemblies interconvert into right-twisted ones with time, suggesting a maturation of the amyloid structures. As fibril species with two chiralities have also been reported previously in Parkinson's disease Lewy bodies and fibrils, the present results seem relevant to better understand AS amyloid assembly and fibrillization in vivo. From a diagnosis or therapeutic point of view, it becomes essential that future fibril probes, inhibitors, or breakers target pathological assemblies with specific chirality and morphology, in particular, because they may change with the stage of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Martial
- Department of Chemistry, Regroupement québécois de recherche sur la fonction, l'ingénierie et les applications des protéines (PROTEO), Centre de recherche sur les matériaux avancés (CERMA), Centre québécois sur les matériaux fonctionnels (CQMF) , Université Laval , Québec , QC G1 V 0A6 , Canada
| | - Thierry Lefèvre
- Department of Chemistry, Regroupement québécois de recherche sur la fonction, l'ingénierie et les applications des protéines (PROTEO), Centre de recherche sur les matériaux avancés (CERMA), Centre québécois sur les matériaux fonctionnels (CQMF) , Université Laval , Québec , QC G1 V 0A6 , Canada
| | - Thierry Buffeteau
- Université Bordeaux , Institut des Sciences Moléculaires, CNRS UMR 5255, 33405 Talence , France
| | - Michèle Auger
- Department of Chemistry, Regroupement québécois de recherche sur la fonction, l'ingénierie et les applications des protéines (PROTEO), Centre de recherche sur les matériaux avancés (CERMA), Centre québécois sur les matériaux fonctionnels (CQMF) , Université Laval , Québec , QC G1 V 0A6 , Canada
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Ziaunys M, Smirnovas V. Emergence of visible light optical properties of L-phenylalanine aggregates. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6518. [PMID: 30828498 PMCID: PMC6394350 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of phenylalanine to form fibrillar nanostructures was demonstrated on multiple occasions, and such an oligomerization reaction could be the cause of cytotoxicity in patients with phenylketonuria. These findings were supported by claims that L-phenylalanine (Phe) fibrils have amyloid properties and can be detected using thioflavin T fluorescence assay. However, a part of Phe aggregation studies reported the opposite data, suggesting no amyloid structures to be formed. Due to the contradicting reports, the amyloid nature of Phe aggregates remains uncertain. In this work we tested Phe aggregation under conditions where amyloid formation was previously reported. We show the emergence of Phe aggregates with visible light optical properties that overlap with the spectra of dyes used in amyloid fibril assays, which could lead to false-positive identifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mantas Ziaunys
- Vilnius University, Life Sciences Center, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vytautas Smirnovas
- Vilnius University, Life Sciences Center, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius, Lithuania
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50
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Hu Y, He C, Woo MW, Xiong H, Hu J, Zhao Q. Formation of fibrils derived from whey protein isolate: structural characteristics and protease resistance. Food Funct 2019; 10:8106-8115. [DOI: 10.1039/c9fo00961b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Structural characteristics during whey protein isolate fibrils formation and its protease resistance were investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology
- Nanchang University
- Jiangxi 330047
- China
| | - Chengxin He
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology
- Nanchang University
- Jiangxi 330047
- China
| | - Meng Wai Woo
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
- Faculty of Engineering
- The University of Auckland
- Auckland 1142
- New Zealand
| | - Hua Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology
- Nanchang University
- Jiangxi 330047
- China
| | - Juwu Hu
- Jiangxi Academy of Sciences
- Jiangxi 330029
- China
| | - Qiang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology
- Nanchang University
- Jiangxi 330047
- China
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