Structural regulation of a peptide-conjugated graft copolymer: a simple model for amyloid formation

The self-assembly of peptides and proteins into beta-sheet-rich high-order structures has attracted much attention as a result of the characteristic nanostructure of these assemblies and because of their association with neurodegenerative diseases. Here we report the structural and conformational properties of a peptide-conjugated graft copolymer, poly(gamma-methyl-L-glutamate) grafted polyallylamine (1) in a water-2,2,2-trifluoroethanol solution as a simple model for amyloid formation. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the globular peptide 1 self-assembles into nonbranching fibrils that are about 4 nm in height under certain conditions. These fibrils are rich in beta-sheets and, similar to authentic amyloid fibrils, bind the amyloidophilic dye Congo red. The secondary and quaternary structures of the peptide 1 can be controlled by manipulating the pH, solution composition, and salt concentration; this indicates that the three-dimensional packing arrangement of peptide chains is the key factor for such fibril formation. Furthermore, the addition of carboxylic acid-terminated poly(ethylene glycol), which interacts with both of amino groups of 1 and hydrophobic PMLG chains, was found to obviously inhibit the alpha-to-beta structural transition for non-assembled peptide 1 and to partially cause a beta-to-alpha structural transition against the 1-assembly in the beta-sheet form. These findings demonstrate that the amyloid fibril formation is not restricted to specific protein sequences but rather is a generic property of peptides. The ability to control the assembled structure of the peptide should provide useful information not only for understanding the amyloid fibril formation, but also for developing novel peptide-based material with well-defined nanostructures.     

Stimuli induced structural changes of gold nanoparticle assemblies having sequential alternating amphiphilic peptides at the surface

Gold nanoparticles having sequential alternating amphiphilic peptide chains, Phe-(Leu-Glu)8, on the surface have been prepared. We describe structural control of the amphiphilic peptide coated gold nanoparticle assembly by a conformational transition of the surface peptides. Under the acidic condition, the conformation of the surface amphiphilic peptide was converted to a beta-sheet structure from an aggregated alpha-helix by incubation. Under this condition, the amphiphilic peptide coated gold nanoparticles formed a nanosheet assembly. The plasmon absorption maximum of the gold nanoparticles shifted to a shorter wavelength with the formation of the beta-sheet assembly of the surface peptide. This suggests that the structure of the peptide coated gold nanoparticle assembly could be controlled by the conformational transition of the surface peptide. Furthermore, the core gold nanoparticle could be fixed in the beta-sheet assembly in the state that stood alone. This system may be useful for novel molecular devices that exhibit quantized properties.     

Conformational changes in poly(vinyl alcohol)-graft-polyacrylamide in aqueous solutions vs graft content

Conformational changes have been studied in intramolecular polymer-polymer complexes (intraPC) of graft copolymers of poly(acrylamide) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA-g-PAA) with various numbers of grafts (4-42) per molecule as a function of temperature and copolymer concentration. It is shown that the magnitude of conformational change depends on the grafts content while the temperature range over which the conformation changes occur is essentially determined by copolymer concentration. The conformational changes are reversible on heating and cooling.     

pH-responsive self-assembly and conformational transition of partially propyl-esterified poly(alpha,beta-L-aspartic acid) as amphiphilic biodegradable polyanion

Poly(alpha,beta-L-aspartate) (PAsp) was partially esterified to afford an amphiphilic biodegradable polyanion, poly(sodium aspartate-co-propyl aspartate) (PAsp-Na/PAsp-P). The synthesized polyanion could be assembled into the nano-scaled aggregates in aqueous medium. The aggregate morphologies were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as a function of pH. It was demonstrated that micellization of this random copolymer occurred with stimulus of pH changes to form various morphological micelles. The copolymer existed as precipitate at low pH (pH<2). When pH increased to 4, the polymers were associated into spherical micelles with the core of poly(propyl aspartate) (PAsp-P) hydrophobic units and shell of some negatively charged poly(sodium aspartate) (PAsp-Na) units. At higher pH (pH>5), toroidal nanostructures of the micelles were formed because rigid polyamide chains directly assemble into the large hollow spheres. The CD study showed that the conformation underwent a transition between alpha-helix and random coil at pH 3-7. The cooperative transitions were regulated by the degree of ionization of carboxylic side chains. When they were protonated (neutralized), the molecular backbone was in favor of the regular helical structure; when deprotonated (ionized), the electrostatic repulsions among side chains destabilized the intramolecular hydrogen bonds, thus randomizing the regular conformation.     

PtBA-g-PPEGMEMA接枝共聚物的合成及其包埋阿霉素的研究

通过可逆加成-裂解链转移聚合和原子转移自由基聚合,制备了以聚丙烯酸叔丁酯为主链、以聚(聚乙二醇单甲醚甲基丙烯酸酯)为侧链的两亲性接枝共聚物PtBA-g-PPEGMEMA,该方法克服了以往通过聚合物修饰来引入接枝点时所存在的接枝点密度不高和不可控的局限性.接着,以PtBA-g-PPEGMEMA为载体,对抗肿瘤药物阿霉素进行了负载,制备得到了尺寸为164.8nm的纳米载药胶束.其释放试验表明,该体系具有缓释特征.     

Controlling the morphology of cross beta-sheet assemblies by rational design

Low molecular weight peptidomimetics with simple amphiphilic sequences can help to elucidate the structures of cross beta-sheet assemblies, such as amyloid fibrils. The peptidomimetics described herein comprise a dibenzofuran template, two peptide strands made up of alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic residues, and carboxyl termini, each of which can be varied to probe the structural requirements for beta-sheet self-assembly processes. The dibenzofuran template positions the strands approximately 10 A apart, allowing corresponding hydrophobic side chains in the strands to pack into a collapsed U-shaped structure. This conformation is stabilized by hydrophobic interactions, not intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Intermolecular stacking of the collapsed peptidomimetics, enabled by intermolecular hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, affords 25-27 A wide protofilaments having a cross beta-sheet structure. Association of protofilaments, mediated by the dibenzofuran substructures and driven by the hydrophobic effect, affords 50-60 A wide filaments. These widths can be controlled by changing the length of the peptide strands. Further assembly of the filaments into fibrils or ribbons can be controlled by modification of the template, C-terminus, and buffer ion composition.     

聚丙烯酸接枝辛基酚聚氧乙烯醚的合成、表征和胶束化

通过自由基聚合, 丙烯酸(AA)与辛基酚聚氧乙烯醚丙烯酸酯活性大单体(C8PhEO10Ac)共聚,合成了以聚丙烯酸为主链、C8PhEO10Ac 为支链的水溶性两亲接枝共聚物(PAA-g-C8PhEO10Ac), 用凝胶渗透色谱(GPC)测定其相对数均分子质量为4.37×10⁴, 用FTIR和1H-NMR表征了共聚物的结构和组成, 共聚物分子中丙烯酸单体与活性大单体的摩尔比为9:1, 每个共聚物分子中平均约有32个C8PhEO10侧链. 用表面张力法、荧光探针法和透射电子显微镜对共聚物在水溶液中的自组装行为进行了初步研究, 结果表明, 共聚物分子在第一临界胶束浓度cmc1)和第二临界胶束浓度(cmc2)时都形成了球型胶束. 与cmc1时相比, cmc2时溶液表面张力进一步降低, 胶束内部极性进一步减小, 而且胶束粒径增大、结构紧密. 氯化钠的加入可使共聚物溶液的表面张力和胶束内部极性降低.     

A starlike amphiphilic graft copolymer with hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid) backbones and hydrophobic polystyrene side chains

A well‐defined starlike amphiphilic graft copolymer bearing hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid) backbones and hydrophobic polystyrene side chains was synthesized by successive atom transfer radical polymerization followed by the hydrolysis of poly‐(methoxymethyl acrylate) backbone. A grafting‐from strategy was employed for the synthesis of a graft copolymer with narrow molecular weight distribution. Hydrophobic polystyrene side chains were connected to the backbones through stable C? C bonds. The poly(methoxymethyl acrylate) backbones can be easily hydrolyzed with HCl without affecting the hydrophobic polystyrene side chains. This kind of amphiphilic graft copolymer can form stable sphere micelles in water. The sizes of the micelles were dependent on the ionic strength and pH value. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3687–3697, 2007     

Synthesis of double hydrophilic graft copolymer containing poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(methacrylic acid) side chains via successive ATRP

A well‐defined double hydrophilic graft copolymer, with polyacrylate as backbone, hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(methacrylic acid) as side chains, was synthesized via successive atom transfer radical polymerization followed by the selective hydrolysis of poly(methoxymethyl methacrylate) side chains. The grafting‐through strategy was first used to prepare poly[poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate] comb copolymer. The obtained comb copolymer was transformed into macroinitiator by reacting with lithium diisopropylamine and 2‐bromopropionyl chloride. Afterwards, grafting‐from route was employed for the synthesis of poly[poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate]‐g‐poly(methoxymethyl methacrylate) amphiphilic graft copolymer. The molecular weight distribution of this amphiphilic graft copolymer was narrow. Poly(methoxymethyl methacrylate) side chains were connected to polyacrylate backbone through stable C? C bonds instead of ester connections. The final product, poly[poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate]‐g‐poly(methacrylate acid), was obtained by selective hydrolysis of poly(methoxymethyl methacrylate) side chains under mild conditions without affecting the polyacrylate backbone. This double hydrophilic graft copolymer was found be stimuli‐responsive to pH and ionic strength. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4056–4069, 2008     

Structural control of peptide-coated gold nanoparticle assemblies by the conformational transition of surface peptides

Gold nanoparticles having peptide chains on the surfaces have been prepared yb ring-opening polymerization of gamma-methyl L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride with fixed amino groups on the nanoparticle surface as an initiator. The number of peptide chains on the surface was adjusted to ca. 2 molecules per gold nanoparticle by controlling the number of fixed amino groups on the surface. The peptide chains on the surface were partially saponified to obtain poly(gamma-methyl L-glutamate-co-L-glutamic acid) with 28 mol% of glutamic acid residues. The number-average molecular weight of the peptide was 73,000. We described structural control of the peptide-coated gold nanoparticle assembly by conformational transition of the surface peptides. In deionized water, the peptide chains on the nanoparticle took a random coil conformation, and the individual nanoparticles existed in dispersed globular species. On the other hand, the peptide chains on the nanoparticle took an alpha-helical conformation in trifluoroethanol. Under this condition, the alpha-helical peptide chains on distinct gold nanoparticles connected the nanoparticles to form a fibril assembly owing to the dipole-dipole interaction between the surface peptide chains. The morphology of the peptide-coated gold nanoparticle assembly could be controlled by the conformational transition of surface peptides, which was attended by solution composition changes.     

催化链转移聚合制备接枝型两亲共聚物及其溶液性质研究

采用大分子单体法制备接枝型两亲共聚物, 通过表面张力仪、偏光显微镜、旋转流变仪和小角X射线衍射研究了两亲共聚物在水溶液中的聚集行为及其相结构. 首先末端带有可聚合双键的聚甲基丙烯酸叔丁酯大分子单体(PtBMA Macromonomer)通过催化链转移聚合法制备, 所用到的催化链转移剂为二水合双(二氟化硼苯二酮肟)合钴(II) (COPhBF). 然后将所得到的大分子单体与丙烯酸正丁酯(BA)进行自由基共聚得到接枝共聚物PBA-g-PtBMA, PBA-g-PtBMA中PtBMA的侧链部分在酸性条件下定量水解成聚甲基丙烯酸(PMAA)并用NaOH中和得到主链疏水侧链亲水的接枝型两亲共聚物PBA-g-P(MAA^－Na^＋). 用Wilhelmy吊片法研究了不同浓度的两亲共聚物水溶液的表面张力, 发现其行为与小分子表面活性剂不同. 同时用动态光散射法测量了两亲共聚物水溶液中聚集体的粒度, 发现在研究的浓度范围内(0.02～10 g/L)聚集体都存在两个粒度分布峰(约30和300 nm). 浓溶液(w＝37.5%)的偏光显微照片呈现层状液晶的特征图案, 而流变研究表明此时体系具有明显的粘弹性, 说明体系形成了层状液晶. 并且用小角度X射线衍射测定了层状液晶的层间距, 约为12.6 nm.     

Micellization of surfactin and its effect on the aggregate conformation of amyloid beta(1-40)

The aggregation of amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta(1-40)) into fibrils is a key pathological process associated with Alzheimer's disease. This work has investigated the micellization process of biosurfactant surfactin and its effect on the aggregation behavior of Abeta(1-40). The results show that surfactin has strong self-assembly ability to form micelles and the micelles tend to form larger aggregates. Surfactin adopts a beta-turn conformation at low micelle concentration but a beta-sheet conformation at high micelle concentration. The effect of surfactin on the Abeta(1-40) aggregation behavior exhibits a strong concentration-dependent fashion. Below the critical micelle concentration of surfactin, the electrostatic binding of surfactin monomers on Abeta(1-40) causes Abeta(1-40) molecules to unfold. Assisted by the hydrophobic interaction among surfactin monomers on the Abeta(1-40) chain, the conformation of Abeta(1-40) transfers to the beta-sheet structure, which promotes the formation of fibrils. At low surfactin micelle concentration, besides the electrostatic force and hydrophobic interaction, hydrogen bonds formed between surfactin micelles and adjacent Abeta(1-40) peptide chains may promote the ordered organization of these Abeta(1-40) peptide chains, thus leading to the formation of beta-sheets and fibrils to a great extent. At high surfactin micelle concentration, the separating of Abeta(1-40) chains by the excessive surfactin micelles and the aggregation of the complexes of Abeta(1-40) with surfactin micelles inhibit the formation of beta-sheets and fibrils.     

PAA-g-PVAc Amphiphilic Graft Copolymer Synthesized by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

A new amphiphilic graft copolymer containing hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid) backbone and hydrophobic poly(vinyl acetate) side chains was synthesized via sequential atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) followed by selective hydrolysis of poly(methoxymethyl acrylate) backbone. Grafting‐from strategy was employed to synthesize PMOMA‐g‐PVAc graft copolymer (M_w/M_n=1.64) via ATRP. The final PAA‐g‐PVAc amphiphilic graft copolymer was obtained by selective acidic hydrolysis of PMOMA backbone in acidic environment without affecting the side chains. The critical micelle concentrations (cmc) in aqueous media were determined by a fluorescence probe technique. The micelle morphologies were found to be spheres.     

聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯接枝聚氧乙烯共聚物溶液性质的研究

采用核磁共振 (NMR)、动态激光光散射 (DLS)、透射电子显微镜 (TEM )等方法研究了规整性聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯接枝聚氧乙烯共聚物溶液性质 ,研究表明两亲接枝共聚物在选择性溶剂中可形成球状胶束 ,溶液的浓度、温度和聚合物结构等因素影响其胶束的大小、形态     

含氟两亲接枝共聚物的制备及其结晶行为

采用大分子单体技术合成了一系列以聚乙二醇为支链、甲基丙烯酸六氟丁酯为主链的含氟两亲接枝共聚物(PHFMA-g-PSPEG)。用1HNMR和凝胶色谱(GPC)对制备的大分子单体和两亲接枝共聚物的结构进行了表征。利用示差扫描量热法(DSC)、X射线衍射(XRD)和偏光显微镜(POM)测试技术对含氟两亲接枝共聚物的结晶行为进行了研究。DSC和XRD结果表明,随着共聚物中含氟链段质量分数的增加,其结晶温度(Tc)和结晶度(Xc)均降低,而结晶熔融温度(Tm)先减小后增加。POM发现,随着共聚物中含氟链段质量分数的增加,其结晶速度减慢,共聚物形成清晰球晶的能力减弱,当共聚物中含氟链段质量分数为57%时,含氟两亲接枝共聚物已不能形成清晰的球晶。     

Novel amphiphilic graft copolymers bearing hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid) backbones and hydrophobic poly(butyl methacrylate) side chains

A novel amphiphilic graft copolymer consisting of hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid) backbones and hydrophobic poly(butyl methacrylate) side chains was synthesized by successive atom transfer radical polymerization followed by hydrolysis of poly‐(methoxymethyl acrylate) backbone. A grafting‐from strategy was employed for the synthesis of graft copolymers with narrow molecular weight distributions (polydispersity index < 1.40). Hydrophobic side chains were connected to the backbone through stable C? C bonds instead of ester connections. Poly(methoxymethyl acrylate) backbone was easily hydrolyzed to poly(acrylic acid) backbone with HCl without affecting the hydrophobic side chains. The amphiphilic graft copolymer could form stable micelles in water. The critical micelle concentration in water was determined by a fluorescence probe technique. The morphology of the micelles was preliminarily explored with transmission electron microscopy and was found to be spheres. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6857–6868, 2006     

Conformational transition of the core chain in radiation-modified polysilane micelles formed in selective solvents

Poly(methyl acrylate)-grafted poly(methyl-n-propylsilane) (PMPrS-g-PMA) and poly(acrylic acid)-grafted PMPrS (PMPrS-g-PAA) were synthesized by gamma-ray-induced graft polymerization, and the association behavior of these graft copolymers was investigated in selective solvents composed of good and poor solvents for the PMPrS main chain. Fluorescence spectroscopy with perylene as a fluorescent probe revealed that PMPrS-g-PAA in a water/THF mixed solvent self-assembles into micelles with a swollen core of PMPrS chains in the water content range of 50-95%. UV spectroscopy demonstrated that a further increase of the water content gives rise to the conformational transition of the PMPrS chains in the micelle core from the random conformation to the conformation that corresponds to that in the solid state at a water content of ca. 95%, independent of the grafting yield. Similar behavior was also observed in DMSO/THF solutions of PMPrS-g-PMA, for which the conformational transition occurred at the constant DMSO content of ca. 95%. These results indicate that solvatochromic behavior of polysilane, which is a characteristic feature of polysilane, proved to provide information on the inner structure of those micelles: PMPrS chains in the core undergo conformational transition as the content of the poor solvents for PMPrS increases, while maintaining the micelle structure.     

Beta-hairpin folding by a model amyloid peptide in solution and at an interface

The development of specific agents against amyloidoses requires an understanding of the conformational distribution of fibrillogenic peptides at a microscopic level. Here, I present molecular dynamics simulations of the model amyloid peptide LSFD with sequence LSFDNSGAITIG-NH2 in explicit water and at a water/vapor interface for a total time scale of approximately 1.8 micros. An extended structure was used as initial peptide configuration. At approximately 290 K, solvated LSFD was kinetically trapped in diverse misfolded beta-sheet/coil conformations. At 350 K, in contrast, the same type II' beta-hairpin in equilibrium with less ordered but also U-shaped conformations was observed for the core residues DNSGAITI in solution and at the interface in multiple independent simulations. The most stable structural unit of the beta-hairpin was the two residue turn (GA). The core residues exhibited a well-defined folded state in which the beta-hairpin was stabilized by a hydrogen bond between the side chain of Asn-385 and the main chain carbonyl group of Gly-387. My results suggest that beta-sheet conformations indicated from previous Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy measurements immediately after preparation of the peptide solution may not arise from protofilaments as speculated by others but are a property of LSFD monomers. In addition, combined with previous results from X-ray scattering, my findings suggest that interfacial aggregation of LSFD implies a transition from U-shaped to extended peptide conformations. This work including the first simulations of reversible beta-hairpin folding at an interface is an essential step toward a microscopic understanding of interfacial peptide folding and self-assembly. Knowledge of the main conformation of the peptide core may facilitate the design of possible inhibitors of LSFD aggregation as a test ground for future computational therapeutic strategies against amyloid diseases.     

SYNTHESIS OF POLYACRYLAMIDE WITH PENDANT POLY(BUTYL ACRYLATE) CHAINS USING THE MACROMER TECHNIQUE AND STUDIES ON THEIR PROPERTIES

INTRODUCTIONSince Milkovich and Chiang[1] developed a method of preparing copolymers with uniform side chains by usingthe macromer technique, the synthesis of copolymers with uniform side chains from different macromers hasbeen studied extensively. Milkovich et al. reported the synthesis of polystyrene macromer through termination ofliving polystyrene anions with methacryloyl chloride and its copolymerization with butyl acrylate to formthermoplastic elastomer[2]. Rempp[3] obtained polyoxy…     

具有电活性苯胺四聚体接枝聚谷氨酸的合成与表征

以N-羟基琥珀酰亚胺(NHS)活化聚L-谷氨酸的羧基并与苯胺四聚体的氨基缩合,得到了以可生物降解的聚谷氨酸为主链,具有电活性的苯胺四聚体为侧链的新型接枝聚合物.用1H-NMR、质谱分析、光谱分析的方法确定了化合物的结构.侧链羧基的存在使聚合物可以溶解于碱性的缓冲溶液中.对聚合物的电化学性质进行了紫外及循环伏安的表征,研究结果表明,接枝后的聚合物具有与苯胺低聚体相似的可逆的氧化还原过程并可被质子酸掺杂,表现出良好的电化学活性.同时,以定量紫外吸收及元素分析的方法分别测定了聚合物的接枝率.实验中通过控制反应的投料比可以使苯胺四聚体的接枝率达到40%以上,并对聚合物的自掺杂现象进行了讨论.