FT-IR Spectroscopic Analysis of the Secondary Structures Present during the Desiccation Induced Aggregation of Elastin-Like Polypeptide on Silica

Previously, we found that elastin-like polypeptide (ELP), when dried above the lower critical solution temperature on top of a hydrophilic fused silica disk, exhibited a dynamic coalescence behavior. The ELP initially wet the silica, but over the next 12 h, dewett the surface and formed aggregates of precise sizes and shapes. Using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, the present study explores the role of secondary structures present in ELP during this progressive desiccation and their effect on aggregate size. The amide I peak (1600-1700 cm(-1)) in the ELP's FT-IR spectrum was deconvoluted using the second derivative method into eight subpeaks (1616, 1624, 1635, 1647, 1657, 1666, 1680, 1695 cm(-1)). These peaks were identified to represent extended strands, beta-turns, 3(10)-helix, polyproline I, and polyproline II using previous studies on ELP and molecules similar in peptide composition. Positive correlations were established between the various subpeaks, water content, and aggregate size to understand the contributions of the secondary structures in particle formation. The positive correlations suggest that type II beta-turns, independent of the water content, contributed to the growth of the aggregates at earlier time points (1-3.5 h). At later time points (6-12 h), the aggregate growth was attributed to the formation of 3(10)-helices that relied on a decrease in water content. Understanding these relationships gives greater control in creating precisely sized aggregates and surface coatings with varying roughness.