Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marco Scarel, Silvia Marchesan
Summary: Cyclodipeptides and 2,5-diketopiperazines have gained great interest for their diverse biological activities and self-assembly properties into gels, showing resistance to enzymatic hydrolysis. Latest research focuses on their synthesis, self-assembly, and innovative applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wenlu Tu, Ke Xue, Shaofeng Lou, Chunlei Zhu, Zhilin Yu
Summary: This study presents a strategy for designing antibacterial peptides derived from virulent amyloids, which self-assemble into nanostructures with remarkable antibacterial activity. The mutated peptides showed great potential in disrupting bacterial membranes and exhibited significant antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This approach provides a new strategy for developing assembled antibacterial peptides by mimicking virulent amyloids.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Natsuki Suda, Takuho Saito, Hironari Arima, Shiki Yagai
Summary: Recent advances in supramolecularly engineered dye aggregates have allowed for the design and control of simple one-dimensional structures and closed structures. In this study, a new dyad was introduced that can form nanotoroids, nanotubes, or 1D fibers depending on the conditions. This is the first successful example of light-induced modulation of supramolecular polymorphism to produce distinctly nanostructured aggregates under isothermal conditions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Man-Di Wang, Gan-Tian Lv, Hong-Wei An, Ni-Yuan Zhang, Hao Wang
Summary: This study reports a programmable peptide molecule that enables specific and efficient assembly by binding to targeting receptor proteins. By designing different peptide sequences and receptor bindings, it is possible to promote oligomerization and functional regulation of protein complexes.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Atsuya Yaguchi, Hirotsugu Hiramatsu, Atsuya Ishida, Mio Oshikawa, Itsuki Ajioka, Takahiro Muraoka
Summary: Insertion of central alkylene chains in peptides can enhance beta-sheet hydrogen bonds and modulation of packing order, leading to the formation of hydrogels with increased stiffness. However, amphiphilic peptides bearing internal alkylene chains longer than C2 show decreased cell-adhesive properties.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
A. Yaguchi, H. Hiramatsu, A. Ishida, M. Oshikawa, I Ajioka, T. Muraoka
Summary: The cover of this issue showcases the nanofiber formation of an amphiphilic peptide with a central alkylene chain that exhibits non-cell adhesive properties, by the group of Takahiro Muraoka at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and collaborators.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Beatrice Rosetti, Erica Scarel, Laura Colomina-Alfaro, Simone Adorinni, Giovanni Pierri, Ottavia Bellotto, Kevin Mamprin, Maurizio Polentarutti, Antonella Bandiera, Consiglia Tedesco, Silvia Marchesan
Summary: The study compared the antimicrobial effects of several cyclo(dipeptide) compounds, showing good cytocompatibility and mild antimicrobial activity that requires improvement.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ai Sato, Keisuke Ikeda, Hiroyuki Nakao, Minoru Nakano
Summary: Self-assembling peptides have the potential to form various nanostructures and are useful in nanomedicine and drug delivery. This study investigated the thermodynamic properties of alkyl-chain-modified self-assembling peptides and found that the aggregation process was driven by different thermodynamic forces at different temperatures. By determining the contributions of different components to self-assembly, this study provides fundamental insights into the design of self-assembling peptides.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yiwei Gao, Jie Zhao, Zehuan Huang, Tanya K. Ronson, Fen Zhao, Yue Wang, Boyang Li, Chenlu Feng, You Yu, Yongliang Cheng, Dong Yang, Xiao-Juan Yang, Biao Wu
Summary: This study demonstrates the fabrication of functional gels through the self-assembly of anion-coordinated assemblies. The obtained gels exhibit excellent flexibility and selective wettability, making them suitable for conductive adhesion between different surfaces.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
News Item
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sunliang Cui, Linwei Zeng
Summary: Three classes of beta-amino amides with well-defined stereocentres can be synthesized using ambiphilic ynamides as two-carbon synthons in a four-component reaction.
Article
Biophysics
Avigail Baruch-Leshem, Corinne Chevallard, Frederic Gobeaux, Patrick Guenoun, Jean Daillant, Philippe Fontaine, Michel Goldmann, Ariel Kushmaro, Hanna Rapaport
Summary: The order of the catalytic triad residues along amphiphilic beta-strands affects both assembly structures and catalytic activity. The amphiphilic peptide ESH achieved the highest catalytic efficiency at a concentration of 250 μM.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hang Yang, Yuting Xiong, Minmin Li, Zhiying Yang, Peiran Meng, Guangyan Qing
Summary: Nature utilizes phosphorylation as a crucial protein modification, and phosphorylated peptides (PPs) have been found to be potential building units for artificial materials. In this study, a supramolecular assembly of PPs with dysprosium ions (Dy3 +) is reported, which forms nanofibers inside nanochannels and shows significant ON-OFF switching in transmembrane ionic current. The assembly process of di-PPs can be dynamically regulated by kinases or phosphatases.
CHINESE CHEMICAL LETTERS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pablo G. Argudo, Juan J. Giner-Casares
Summary: Proteins and peptide fragments play a crucial role in self-assembly for nanostructures, with intrinsically disordered proteins and protein regions showing significant biological activity. Experimental techniques and computational modeling procedures are used for characterization, leading to a wide variety of nanostructures and promising performance in biotechnological applications. Exciting possibilities for IDPs and IDRs in nanotechnology with relevant biological applications are demonstrated.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Wenjun Zhan, Ge Gao, Zhiyu Liu, Xiaoyang Liu, Lingling Xu, Manli Wang, Hai-Dong Xu, Runqun Tang, Jingyuan Cao, Xianbao Sun, Gaolin Liang
Summary: A rationally designed peptide conjugate that self-assembles into fibrous structures upon activation of bacterial alkaline phosphatase has been developed to combat Staphylococcus aureus infection. The assemblies interact with the cell lipid membrane and disrupt membrane integrity, leading to the killing of S. aureus.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shuai Zhang, Jiajun Chen, Jianli Liu, Harley Pyles, David Baker, Chun-Long Chen, James J. De Yoreo
Summary: Biomolecular self-assembly is a fundamental process used by life to create functional materials, but progress in engineering self-assembly at solid-liquid interfaces lags behind that in bulk solutions. Recent research has focused on programming self-assembly of peptides, proteins, and peptoids at solid-liquid interfaces, as well as advancing physical understandings of self-assembly pathways using in situ atomic force microscopy. These developments are leading to novel strategies for designing biomaterials organized at and interfaced with inorganic surfaces.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rosa Marti-Centelles, Beatriu Escuder
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marta Tena-Solsona, Job Boekhoven
ISRAEL JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carsten Donau, Fabian Spaeth, Marilyne Sosson, Brigitte A. K. Kriebisch, Fabian Schnitter, Marta Tena-Solsona, Hyun-Seo Kang, Elia Salibi, Michael Sattler, Hannes Mutschler, Job Boekhoven
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2020)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Patrick S. Schwarz, Marta Tena-Solsona, Kun Dai, Job Boekhoven
Summary: This article discusses the method of using a reaction cycle that converts chemical energy to regulate molecular self-assembly, and proposes the idea of designing carbodiimide-driven reaction cycles to create desired morphology or function of the assembly.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bart-Jan Niebuur, Hendrik Hegels, Marta Tena-Solsona, Patrick S. Schwarz, Job Boekhoven, Christine M. Papadakis
Summary: Active droplets formed in aqueous buffer at the expense of chemical fuel exhibit high precision and temporal and spatial resolutions. The behavior of droplet characteristics over time correlates closely with the concentration of the anhydrides, with precursor hydrophobicity strongly influencing droplet size and lifetime.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Barbara Gimenez-Hernandez, Eva Falomir, Beatriu Escuder
Summary: Combining polymers and low molecular weight compounds can produce new supramolecular materials. The addition of hyaluronic acid to the materials reduces polymorphism and improves mechanical properties of the low molecular weight network, resulting in reproducible hydrogels. These materials have potential for biomedical applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Samrat Das Adhikari, Andres F. Gualdron Reyes, Subir Paul, Jeevan Torres, Beatriu Escuder, Ivan Mora-Sero, Sofia Masi
Summary: Perovskite nanocrystals (PeNCs) synthesized by colloidal solution methods have unique optical features, such as a tuneable band gap and narrower photoluminescence emission compared to their bulk counterpart. However, their stability needs to be improved for application in optoelectronic devices. This can be achieved by stabilizing the PeNC phases and passivating the surface using alternative methods, such as combining them with organic or inorganic materials. This perspective discusses the challenges, opportunities, and potential applications of core/shell PeNCs, as well as the synthesis steps and optical properties.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Brigitte A. K. Kriebisch, Christine M. E. Kriebisch, Alexander M. Bergmann, Caren Wanzke, Marta Tena-Solsona, Job Boekhoven
Summary: The article discusses how dynamic, molecular self-assembly is used to create adaptive cellular structures and explores synthetic analogs of assemblies regulated by chemically fueled reaction cycles. A challenge in the research is to control the interplay between rapid disassembly of building blocks and kinetic trapping.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kun Dai, Marta Tena-Solsona, Jennifer Rodon Fores, Alexander M. Bergmann, Job Boekhoven
Summary: This study identifies a family of peptides that assemble into colloids regulated through a chemical reaction cycle, showing that they follow different disassembly pathways upon deactivation. Some peptides completely disassemble while others transition into fibers, highlighting the importance of considering both assembly and disassembly in chemically fueled self-assembly processes.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Rosa Marti-Centelles, Irene Dolz-Perez, Jaciel De la O, Imelda Ontoria-Oviedo, Pilar Sepulveda, Vicent J. Nebot, Maria J. Vicent, Beatriu Escuder
Summary: Transdermal drug delivery is an advantageous approach, but the high impermeability of the stratum corneum presents challenges. A two-component molecular hydrogel platform for transdermal delivery of (S)-naproxen was developed, with promising results shown in terms of drug permeation and localized delivery. The study demonstrates an efficient method for enhancing drug delivery through the skin using this hydrogel platform.
ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marta Tena-Solsona, Jacqueline Janssen, Caren Wanzke, Fabian Schnitter, Hansol Park, Benedikt Riess, Julianne M. Gibbs, Christoph A. Weber, Job Boekhoven
Summary: Chemically fueled emulsions are vital solutions with droplets that can self-divide and play important roles in biology. Theoretical studies have shown various intriguing properties, but lack experimental validation. New research reveals that the growth dynamics of droplets in these emulsions are regulated by the kinetics of the fuel-driven reaction cycle.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rosa Marti-Centelles, Jenifer Rubio-Magnieto, Beatriu Escuder
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Caren Wanzke, Marta Tena-Solsona, Benedikt Riess, Laura Tebcharani, Job Boekhoven
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2020)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Marta Tena-Solsona, Domenico Marson, Ana C. Rodrigo, Stephen M. Bromfield, Beatriu Escuder, Juan F. Miravet, Nadezda Apostolova, Erik Laurini, Sabrina Pricl, David K. Smith
BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE
(2019)