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Ordered Nanofibers Fabricated from Hierarchical Self‐Assembling Processes of Designed α‐Helical Peptides
Author(s) -
Li Jie,
Zhao Yurong,
Zhou Peng,
Hu Xuzhi,
Wang Dong,
King Stephen M.,
Rogers Sarah E.,
Wang Jiqian,
Lu Jian R.,
Xu Hai
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.202003945
Subject(s) - nanofiber , self assembly , covalent bond , nanotechnology , peptide , nanostructure , nanomaterials , materials science , hydrogen bond , sequence (biology) , asparagine , electrostatics , chemistry , molecule , amino acid , organic chemistry , biochemistry
Peptide self‐assembly is fast evolving into a powerful method for the development of bio‐inspired nanomaterials with great potential for many applications, but it remains challenging to control the self‐assembling processes and nanostrucutres because of the intricate interplay of various non‐covalent interactions. A group of 28‐residue α‐helical peptides is designed including NN, NK, and HH that display distinct hierarchical events. The key of the design lies in the incorporation of two asparagine (Asn) or histidine (His) residues at the a positions of the second and fourth heptads, which allow one sequence to pack into homodimers with sticky ends through specific interhelical Asn‐Asn or metal complexation interactions, followed by their longitudinal association into ordered nanofibers. This is in contrast to classical self‐assembling helical peptide systems consisting of two complementary peptides. The collaborative roles played by the four main non‐covalent interactions, including hydrogen‐bonding, hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic interactions, and metal ion coordination, are well demonstrated during the hierarchical self‐assembling processes of these peptides. Different nanostructures, for example, long and short nanofibers, thin and thick fibers, uniform metal ion‐entrapped nanofibers, and polydisperse globular stacks, can be prepared by harnessing these interactions at different levels of hierarchy.