TAT peptide immobilization on gold surfaces: a comparison study with a thiolated peptide and alkylthiols using AFM, XPS, and FT-IRRAS

A TAT peptide was used to functionalize a gold surface by three different methods: adsorption from solution, microcontact printing, and dip-pen nanolithography (DPN). The composition and structure of the modified gold was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform -infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (FT-IRRAS). We used two well-studied alkylthiols, mercaptohexadecanoic acid and 1-octadecanethiol, as a comparison in order to understand the structure of the TAT peptide monolayers prepared by the three methods. AFM studies allowed us to assess the homogeneity after each modification protocol. XPS was used to characterize the chemical composition of the gold surface after each functionalization procedure. The XPS results showed that surfaces modified with the TAT peptide by the three methods exhibit similar surface chemistry. Finally, FT-IRRAS experiments allowed us to conclude that the structure of the alkyl chains of the TAT peptides is fairly disordered and different after each procedure. Regardless of the type of surface functionalization method used, the monolayer of TAT peptide formed on the surface was of "liquidlike" nature.     

Self-assembly of focal point oligo-catechol ethylene glycol dendrons on titanium oxide surfaces: adsorption kinetics, surface characterization, and nonfouling properties

This work covers the synthesis of second-generation, ethylene glycol dendrons covalently linked to a surface anchor that contains two, three, or four catechol groups, the molecular assembly in aqueous buffer on titanium oxide surfaces, and the evaluation of the resistance of the monomolecular adlayers against nonspecific protein adsorption in contact with full blood serum. The results were compared to those of a linear poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) analogue with the same molecular weight. The adsorption kinetics as well as resulting surface coverages were monitored by ex situ spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE), in situ optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS), and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) investigations. The expected compositions of the macromolecular films were verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results of the adsorption study, performed in a high ionic strength ("cloud-point") buffer at room temperature, demonstrate that the adsorption kinetics increase with increasing number of catechol binding moieties and exceed the values found for the linear PEG analogue. This is attributed to the comparatively smaller and more confined molecular volume of the dendritic macromolecules in solution, the improved presentation of the catechol anchor, and/or their much lower cloud-point in the chosen buffer (close to room temperature). Interestingly, in terms of mechanistic aspects of "nonfouling" surface properties, the dendron films were found to be much stiffer and considerably less hydrated in comparison to the linear PEG brush surface, closer in their physicochemical properties to oligo(ethylene glycol) alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers than to conventional brush surfaces. Despite these differences, both types of polymer architectures at saturation coverage proved to be highly resistant toward protein adsorption. Although associated with higher synthesis costs, dendritic macromolecules are considered to be an attractive alternative to linear polymers for surface (bio)functionalization in view of their spontaneous formation of ultrathin, confluent, and nonfouling monolayers at room temperature and their outstanding ability to present functional ligands (coupled to the termini of the dendritic structure) at high surface densities.     

Self-assembled monothiol-terminated hyperbranched polyglycerols on a gold surface: a comparative study on the structure, morphology, and protein adsorption characteristics with linear poly(ethylene glycol)s

Monothiol-terminated hyperbranched polyglycerols (HPGs) were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of glycidol from partially deprotonated 2,2'-dihydroxyethane disulfide as the initiator and subsequent reduction of the disulfide group. Two molecular weights of HPG thiols were synthesized. The molecular weights of the polymers were determined by MALDI-TOF analysis, and the presence of thiol was verified by Ellman's assay. The self-assembly of HPG thiols on gold was studied and compared with that of linear poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) thiols utilizing various surface analysis techniques. Monothiol-functionalized HPGs readily adsorbed to a gold surface and formed highly uniform thin films on the surface. The graft density of the HPG layer decreased with an increase in the molecular weight of the polymer. The amount of polymer on the surface increased with increasing incubation concentration and saturated above 6 g/L polymer concentration. Generally, HPG thiols gave lower graft density compared to linear PEG thiols of similar molecular weight. AFM morphological studies showed that HPG thiols form more uniform and smooth surface films compared to PEG thiols. Incubation of a polymer-coated surface (HPG thiols and PEG thiols) with bovine serum albumin and immunoglobulin showed that the high molecular weight hyperbranched polyglycerol was more resistant to protein adsorption than linear PEG of similar molecular weight or lower molecular weight HPG. The protein adsorption decreased with increasing graft density of the HPG chains on the surface. Our results show that HPG could be a good alternative to PEG in the development of nonfouling functional surfaces.     

Facile construction of sulfanyl-terminated poly(ethylene glycol)-brushed layer on a gold surface for protein immobilization by the combined use of sulfanyl-ended telechelic and semitelechelic poly(ethylene glycol)s

A sulfanyl-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-brushed layer was constructed on a gold sensor platform by consecutive treatment with a sulfanyl-ended semitelechelic PEG (2 kDa, hereafter "MeO-PEG-SH (2k)") and a sulfanyl-ended telechelic PEG (5 kDa, hereafter "SH-PEG-SH (5k)"). Our strategy of constructing the sulfanyl-terminated PEG-brushed gold surface is based on mixed-PEG-brush formation from the longer SH-PEG-SH (5k) and the shorter MeO-PEG-SH (2k), where the preimmobilized shorter MeO-PEG-SH (2k) prevents loop formation in the longer SH-PEG-SH (5k) on the surface and the free sulfanyl group at one end of the longer SH-PEG-SH is exposed to the mixed-PEG tethered-chain surface. From the experimental results obtained from surface plasmon resonance analysis, it became apparent that the immobilization density and the orientation of the longer SH-PEG-SH (5k) on the gold surface could be controlled by the amount of preimmobilized shorter MeO-PEG-SH (2k). Under the optimized conditions of MeO-PEG-SH (2k) premodification, the constructed MeO-PEG-SH (2k)/SH-PEG-SH (5k) mixed layer conjugated efficiently with the maleimide-installed proteins and the antibody Fab' fragments, accompanied by an appreciable nonfouling characteristic against bovine serum albumin as strong as that of the MeO-PEG-SH (5k)/MeO-PEG-SH (2k) mixed surface, which was reported in our previous work; it also showed a superior nonfouling characteristic compared to the commercially available carboxymethylated dextran surface (Uchida, K.; et al. Biointerphase 2007, 2 (4), 126-130). Furthermore, from the experimental results of the X-ray photoelectron spectrometry analysis, the presence of both Au-bound and Au-unbound sulfur species was confirmed on the SH-PEG-SH (5k)/MeO-PEG-SH (2k)-modified gold surface. These results clearly indicate that the preimmobilized shorter MeO-PEG-SH (2k) not only increased the nonfouling characteristic of the PEG tethered-chain surface but also prevented loop formation in the longer SH-PEG-SH (5k) on the gold surface. Since the protein-installed SH-PEG-SH (5k)/MeO-PEG-SH (2k)-modified surface showed a strongly nonfouling characteristic and recognized the target molecules selectively, this new mixed-brush-formation technique using longer sulfanyl-ended telechelic PEGs and shorter semitelechelic PEGs is a simple yet effective method of constructing a strongly nonfouling terminal-functionalized gold surface for protein immobilization.     

Covalent attachment of TAT peptides and thiolated alkyl molecules on GaAs surfaces

Four TAT peptide fragments were used to functionalize GaAs surfaces by adsorption from solution. In addition, two well-studied alkylthiols, mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHA) and 1-octadecanethiol (ODT) were utilized as references to understand the structure of the TAT peptide monolayer on GaAs. The different sequences of TAT peptides were employed in recognition experiments where a synthetic RNA sequence was tested to verify the specific interaction with the TAT peptide. The modified GaAs surfaces were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (FT-IRRAS). AFM studies were used to compare the surface roughness before and after functionalization. XPS allowed us to characterize the chemical composition of the GaAs surface and conclude that the monolayers composed of different sequences of peptides have similar surface chemistries. Finally, FT-IRRAS experiments enabled us to deduce that the TAT peptide monolayers have a fairly ordered and densely packed alkyl chain structure. The recognition experiments showed preferred interaction of the RNA sequence toward peptides with high arginine content.     

Adsorption kinetics of an engineered gold binding Peptide by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and a quartz crystal microbalance

The adsorption kinetics of an engineered gold binding peptide on gold surface was studied by using both quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy systems. The gold binding peptide was originally selected as a 14-amino acid sequence by cell surface display and then engineered to have a 3-repeat form (3R-GBP1) with improved binding characteristics. Both sets of adsorption data for 3R-GBP1 were fit to Langmuir models to extract kinetics and thermodynamics parameters. In SPR, the adsorption onto the surface shows a biexponential behavior and this is explained as the effect of bimodal surface topology of the polycrystalline gold substrate on 3R-GBP1 binding. Depending on the concentration of the peptide, a preferential adsorption on the surface takes place with different energy levels. The kinetic parameters (e.g., K(eq) approximately 10(7) M(-1)) and the binding energy (approximately -8.0 kcal/mol) are comparable to synthetic-based self-assembled monolayers. The results demonstrate the potential utilization of genetically engineered inorganic surface-specific peptides as molecular substrates due to their binding specificity, stability, and functionality in an aqueous-based environment.     

Effect of linker and spacer on the design of a fibronectin-mimetic peptide evaluated via cell studies and AFM adhesion forces

The design of a fibronectin-mimetic peptide that specifically binds to the alpha 5beta 1 integrin has been widely studied because of this integrin's participation in many physiological and pathological processes. A promising design for such a peptide includes both the primary binding site RGD and the synergy site PHSRN connected by a linker and extended off of a surface by a spacer. Our original hypothesis was that the degree of hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity between the two sequences (RGD and PHSRN) in fibronectin is an important parameter in designing a fibronectin-mimetic peptide (Mardilovich, A.; Kokkoli, E. Biomacromolecules 2004, 5, 950-957). A peptide-amphiphile, PR_b, that was previously designed in our laboratory employed a hydrophobic tail connected to the N terminus of a peptide headgroup that was composed of a spacer, the synergy site sequence, a linker mimicking both the distance and hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity present in the native protein fibronectin (thus presenting an overall "neutral" linker), and finally the primary binding sequence. Even though our previous work (Mardilovich, A.; Craig, J. A.; McCammon, M. Q.; Garg, A.; Kokkoli, E. Langmuir 2006, 22, 3259-3264) demonstrated that PR_b is a promising sequence compared to fibronectin, this is the first study that tests our hypothesis by comparing PR_b to other peptides with hydrophobic or hydrophilic linkers. Furthermore, different peptide-amphiphiles were designed that could be used to study the effect of building blocks systematically, such as the peptide headgroup linker length and hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity as well as the headgroup spacer length on integrin adhesion. Circular dichroism spectroscopy was first employed, and the collected spectra demonstrated that only one peptide-amphiphile exhibited a secondary structure. Their surface topography was evaluated by taking atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of Langmuir-Blodgett peptide-amphiphile membranes supported on mica. Their adhesion was first evaluated with AFM force measurements between the different sequences and an AFM tip functionalized with purified integrins. The amphiphiles were further characterized via 1-12 h cell studies that examined human umbilical vein endothelial cell adhesion and extracellular matrix fibronectin production. The AFM studies were in good agreement with the cell studies. Overall, the adhesion studies validated our hypothesis and demonstrated for the first time that a "neutral" linker, which more closely mimics the cell adhesion domain of fibronectin, supports higher levels of adhesion compared to other peptide designs with a hydrophobic or hydrophilic linker or even fibronectin. Neutral linker lengths that were within the distance found between PHSRN and RGD in fibronectin performed equally well. However, the 10 amino acid neutral linker gave slightly better cell adhesion than did the control fibronectin at all times. Also, a short spacer was shown to give higher adhesion than other sequences with no spacer or a longer spacer, suggesting that a short spacer is necessary to extend the sequence further away from the interface. In conclusion, this work outlines a logical approach that can be applied for the rational design of any protein-mimetic peptide with two binding sites.     

Protein resistance of titanium oxide surfaces modified by biologically inspired mPEG-DOPA

In the present study, we have utilized X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), spectroscopic ellipsometry (ELM), and optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) to examine the surface adsorption and protein resistance behavior of bio-inspired polymers consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) conjugated to peptide mimics of mussel adhesive proteins. Peptides containing up to three residues of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), a key component of mussel adhesive proteins, were conjugated to monomethoxy-terminated PEG polymers. These mPEG-DOPA polymers were found to be highly adhesive to TiO2 surfaces, with quantitative XPS analysis providing useful insight into the binding mechanism. Additionally, the antifouling properties of immobilized PEG were reflected in the excellent resistance of mPEG-DOPA-modified TiO2 surfaces to protein adsorption. Measurements of mPEG-DOPA and human serum adsorption were related in terms of ethylene glycol (EG) surface density and serum mass adsorbed and demonstrated a threshold of approximately 15-20 EG/nm2, above which substantially little protein adsorbs. With respect to surface density of adsorbed PEG and the associated nonfouling behavior of the adlayers, strong parallels exist between the nonfouling properties of the surface-bound mPEG-DOPA polymers and PEG polymers immobilized to surfaces using other approaches. Peptide anchors containing three DOPA residues resulted in PEG surface densities higher than those achieved using several existing PEG immobilization strategies, suggesting that peptide mimics of mussel adhesive proteins may be useful for achieving high densities of protein-resistant polymers on surfaces.     

Intermolecular interactions in electron transfer through stretched helical peptides

The helical peptide Cys-Ala-Lys-(Glu-Ala-Ala-Ala-Lys)(2)-Ala-NH-(CH(2))(2)-SH has been organized forming a self-assembled monolayer on gold (0.602 peptides per nm(2)), its conductance behavior under stretching conditions being studied using scanning tunnelling microscopy and current sensing atomic force microscopy. The helical conformation of the peptide has been found to play a fundamental role in the conductance. Moreover, variation of the current upon molecular stretching indicates that peptides can be significantly elongated before the conductance drops to zero, the critical elongation being 1.22 ± 0.47 nm. Molecular dynamics simulations of a single peptide in the free state and of a variable number of peptides tethered to a gold surface (i.e. densities ranging from 0.026 to 1.295 peptides per nm(2)) have indicated that the helical conformation is intrinsically favored in solvated environments while in desolvated environments it is retained because of the fundamental role played by peptide-peptide intermolecular interactions. The structure obtained for the system with 24 tethered peptides, with a density of 0.634 peptides per nm(2) closest to the experimental one, is in excellent agreement with experimental observations. On the other hand, simulations in which a single molecule is submitted to different compression and stretching processes while the rest remain in the equilibrium have been used to mimic the variation of the tip-substrate distance in experimental measures. Results allowed us to identify the existence, and in some cases coexistence, of intermolecular and intramolecular ionic ladders, suggesting that peptide-mediated electron transfer occurs through the hopping mechanism. Finally, quantum mechanical calculations have been used to investigate the variation of the electronic structure upon compression and stretching deformations.     

Effect of molecular conformations on the adsorption behavior of gold-binding peptides

Despite extensive recent reports on combinatorially selected inorganic-binding peptides and their bionanotechnological utility as synthesizers and molecular linkers, there is still only limited knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of peptide binding to solid surfaces. There is, therefore, much work that needs to be carried out in terms of both the fundamentals of solid-binding kinetics of peptides and the effects of peptide primary and secondary structures on their recognition and binding to solid materials. Here we discuss the effects of constraints imposed on FliTrx-selected gold-binding peptide molecular structures upon their quantitative gold-binding affinity. We first selected two novel gold-binding peptide (AuBP) sequences using a FliTrx random peptide display library. These were, then, synthesized in two different forms: cyclic (c), reproducing the original FliTrx gold-binding sequence as displayed on bacterial cells, and linear (l) dodecapeptide gold-binding sequences. All four gold-binding peptides were then analyzed for their adsorption behavior using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. The peptides exhibit a range of binding affinities to and adsorption kinetics on gold surfaces, with the equilibrium constant, Keq, varying from 2.5x10(6) to 13.5x10(6) M(-1). Both circular dichroism and molecular mechanics/energy minimization studies reveal that each of the four peptides has various degrees of random coil and polyproline type II molecular conformations in solution. We found that AuBP1 retained its molecular conformation in both the c- and l-forms, and this is reflected in having similar adsorption behavior. On the other hand, the c- and l-forms of AuBP2 have different molecular structures, leading to differences in their gold-binding affinities.     

Ultralow fouling zwitterionic polymers grafted from surfaces covered with an initiator via an adhesive mussel mimetic linkage

In this work, nonfouling zwitterionic polymers were grafted via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) from surfaces covered with an adhesive catechol initiator. The catechol initiator was attached to both bare gold and amino-functionalized surfaces, and the nonfouling performances of the resulting polymer brushes were compared. Under optimal conditions, ultralow protein adsorption from both single-protein solutions of fibrinogen and lysozyme and complex media of 10% blood serum and 100% blood plasma/serum was achieved. Furthermore, the 3-day accumulation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the treated glass surfaces was studied in situ using a laminar flow chamber. The results showed that these zwitterionic coatings dramatically reduced the biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa as compared to the reference bare glass.     

A Modular Approach To Study Protein Adsorption on Surface Modified Hydroxyapatite

Biocompatible inorganic nano‐ and microcarriers can be suitable candidates for protein delivery. This study demonstrates facile methods of functionalization by using nanoscale linker molecules to change the protein adsorption capacity of hydroxyapatite (HA) powder. The adsorption capacity of bovine serum albumin as a model protein has been studied with respect to the surface modifications. The selected linker molecules (lysine, arginine, and phosphoserine) can influence the adsorption capacity by changing the electrostatic nature of the HA surface. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of linker‐molecule interactions with the HA surface have been performed by using NMR spectroscopy, zeta‐potential measurements, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analyses. Additionally, correlations to theoretical isotherm models have been calculated with respect to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Lysine and arginine increased the protein adsorption, whereas phosphoserine reduced the protein adsorption. The results show that the adsorption capacity can be controlled with different functionalization, depending on the protein–carrier selections under consideration. The scientific knowledge acquired from this study can be applied in various biotechnological applications that involve biomolecule–inorganic material interfaces.     

Alpha-helix-inducing dimerization of synthetic polypeptide scaffolds on gold

Designed, synthetic polypeptides that assemble into four-helix bundles upon dimerization in solution were studied with respect to folding on planar gold surfaces. A model system with controllable dimerization properties was employed, consisting of negatively and positively charged peptides. Circular dichroism spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance based measurements showed that at neutral pH, the peptides were able to form heterodimers in solution, but unfavorable electrostatic interactions prevented the formation of homodimers. The dimerization propensity was found to be both pH- and buffer-dependent. A series of infrared absorption-reflection spectroscopy experiments of the polypeptides attached to planar gold surfaces revealed that if the negatively charged peptide was immobilized from a loading solution where it was folded, its structure was retained on the surface provided it had a cysteine residue available for anchoring to gold. If it was immobilized as random coil, it remained unstructured on the surface but was able to fold through heterodimerization if subsequently exposed to a positively charged polypeptide. When the positively charged peptide was immobilized as random coil, heterodimerization could not be induced, probably because of high-affinity interactions between the charged primary amine groups and the gold surface. These observations are intended to pave the way for future engineering of functional surfaces based on polypeptide scaffolds where folding is known to be crucial for function.     

Sequence modulation of tunneling barrier and charge transport across histidine doped oligo-alanine molecular junctions

Series tunneling across peptides composed of various amino acids is one of the main charge transport mechanisms for realizing the function of protein. Histidine, more frequently found in redox active proteins, has been proved to be efficient tunneling mediator. While how it exactly modulates charge transport in a long peptide sequence remains poorly explored. In this work, we studied charge transport of a model peptide junction, where oligo-alanine peptide was doped by histidine at different position, and the series of peptides were self-assembled into a monolayer on gold electrode with soft EGaIn as top electrode to form molecular junction. It was found that histidine increased the overall conductance of the peptide, meanwhile, its position modulated the conductance as well. Quantitative analysis by transport model and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) indicated a sequence dependent energy landscape of the tunneling barrier of the junction. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculation on the electronic structure of histidine doped oligo-alanine peptides revealed localized highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) on imidazole group of the histidine, which decreased charge transport barrier.     

Strong resistance of oligo(phosphorylcholine) self-assembled monolayers to protein adsorption

In this work, we demonstrate the strong resistance of oligo(phosphorylcholine) (OPC) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to protein adsorption and cell adhesion. OPC SAMs were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and protein adsorption was measured using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor. Results are compared with those of phosphorylcholine (PC) SAMs. Despite the existence of negative charge on OPC SAMs and the simple synthesis procedure of OPC thiols, OPC SAMs resist protein adsorption as effectively as or better than PC SAMs formed from highly purified PC thiols. The ease of their preparation and the effectiveness of their function make OPC SAMs an attractive alternative for creating nonfouling surfaces.     

Hydroxyapatite surface-induced peptide folding

Herein, we describe the design and surface-binding characterization of a de novo designed peptide, JAK1, which undergoes surface-induced folding at the hydroxyapatite (HA)-solution interface. JAK1 is designed to be unstructured in buffered saline solution, yet undergo HA-induced folding that is largely governed by the periodic positioning of gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues within the primary sequence of the peptide. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and analytical ultracentrifugation indicate that the peptide remains unfolded and monomeric in solution under normal physiological conditions; however, CD spectroscopy indicates that in the presence of hydroxyapatite, the peptide avidly binds to the mineral surface adopting a helical structure. Adsorption isotherms indicate nearly quantitative surface coverage and Kd = 310 nM for the peptide-surface binding event. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) coupled with the adsorption isotherm data suggests that JAK1 binds to HA, forming a self-limiting monolayer. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using HA surfaces to trigger the intramolecular folding of designed peptides and represents the initial stages of defining the design rules that allow HA-induced peptide folding.     

Playing with peptides: how to build a supramolecular peptide nanostructure by exploiting helix···helix macrodipole interactions

A novel method to build bicomponent peptide self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) has been developed, by exploiting helix···helix macrodipole interactions. In this work, a peptide-based self-assembled monolayer composed of two helical peptides was immobilized on a gold surface. Specifically, a pyrene-containing octapeptide, devoid of any sulfur atom (A8Pyr), and a hexapeptide, functionalized at the N-terminus with (S,R) lipoic acid, for binding to gold substrates (SSA4WA) via a Au-S linkage, have been employed. Both peptides investigated attain a helical structure, because they are almost exclusively formed by strongly folding inducer C(α)-tetrasubstituted α-amino acids. We demonstrate that the two peptides generate a stable supramolecular nanostructure (a densely packed bicomponent peptide monolayer), where A8Pyr is incorporated into the SSA4WA palisade by exploiting helix···helix macrodipole interactions. The presence of both peptides on the gold surface was investigated by spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques, while the morphology of the monolayer was analyzed by ultra high-vacuum scanning tunnelling microscopy. The composition of the bicomponent SAM on the surface was studied by a combination of electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques. In particular, the amount of Au-S linkages from the sulfur-containing peptides was quantified from reductive desorption of the peptide-based SAM, while the amount of A8Pyr was estimated by fluorescence spectroscopy. The antiparallel orientation of the A8Pyr and SSA4WA peptide chains minimizes the interaction energy between the helix dipoles, suggesting that this kind of electrostatic phenomenon is the driving force that stabilizes the bicomponent SAM.     

Optimal attachment position and linker length promote native-like character of cavitand-based template-assembled synthetic proteins (TASPs)

We have designed, synthesised and characterised a series of template-assembled de novo four-helix bundles, each differing in the linker length between the template and the peptides. The helix is based on an earlier peptide sequence: EELLKKLEELLKKLG (first-generation sequence), which was designed to link the hydrophilic/hydrophobic interface of the helices. Increasing or decreasing the linker length by one glycine residue had a significant effect on the structure and properties of the template-assembled synthetic proteins (TASPs). Here, the effect of the linker length is further probed by linking the peptides closer to the hydrophobic face by using the second-generation sequence, AEELLKKLEELLKKG, in an effort to improve the packing between the helices and to better understand the helical bundles. The peptides were synthesised with 0-4 Gly linker residues and linked onto a cavitand template. The proteins were found to be alpha-helical, stable to guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) and to unfold cooperatively. However, their stabilities toward GuHCl, propensity to self-aggregate and structural specificity differed. The two-glycine variant of the second-generation series demonstrated the highest stability and most native-like character of all the mononeric TASPs in both the first- and second-generation series. The structural specificity of this two glycine variant is comparable to that of other known native-like de novo proteins. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the two-glycine variant contains helices that are tilted with respect to the cavitand template and may account for its unique properties.     

Adsorption behavior of linear and cyclic genetically engineered platinum binding peptides

Recently, phage and cell-surface display libraries have been adapted for genetically selecting short peptides for a variety of inorganic materials. Despite the enormous number of inorganic-binding peptides reported and their bionanotechnological utility as synthesizers and molecular linkers, there is still a limited understanding of molecular mechanisms of peptide recognition of and binding to solid materials. As part of our goal of genetically designing these peptides, understanding the binding kinetics and thermodynamics, and using the peptides as molecular erectors, in this report we discuss molecular structural constraints imposed upon the quantitative binding characteristics of peptides with an affinity for inorganics. Specifically, we use a high-affinity seven amino acid Pt-binding sequence, PTSTGQA, as we reported in earlier studies and build two constructs: one is a Cys-Cys constrained "loop" sequence (CPTSTGQAC) that mimics the domain used in the pIII tail sequence of the phage library construction, and the second is the linear form, a septapeptide, without the loop. Both sequences were analyzed for their adsorption behavior on Pt thin films by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy and for their conformational properties by circular dichroism (CD). We find that the cyclic peptide of the integral Pt-binding sequence possesses single or 1:1 Langmuir adsorption behavior and displays equilibrium and adsorption rate constants that are significantly larger than those obtained for the linear form. Conversely, the linear form exhibits biexponential Langmuir isotherm behavior with slower and weaker binding. Furthermore, the structure of the cyclic version was found to adopt a random coil molecular conformation, whereas the linear version adopts a polyproline type II conformation in equilibrium with the random coil. The 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol titration experiments indicate that TFE has a different effect on the secondary structures of the linear and cyclic versions of the Pt binding sequence. We conclude that the presence of the Cys-Cys restraint affects both the conformation and binding behavior of the integral Pt-binding septapeptide sequence and that the presence or absence of constraints could be used to tune the adsorption and structural features of inorganic binding peptide sequences.     

"Belt and braces": a peptide-based linker system of de novo design

A new self-assembling peptide-based linker is described. The system comprises three leucine-zipper sequences of de novo design: one peptide, "the belt", templates the co-assembly of the other two-half-sized peptides, "the braces". These basic features were confirmed by circular dichroism spectroscopy and analytical ultracentrifugation: when mixed, the three peptides reversibly formed a predominantly helical and stable 1:1:1 ternary complex. Surface plasmon resonance experiments demonstrated assembly of the complex on gold surfaces, while the ability of the system to bring together peptide-bound cargo was demonstrated using colloidal gold nanoparticles. In the latter experiments, the nanoparticles were derivatized with the brace peptides prior to the addition of the belt. Transmission electron microscopy images of the resulting networks revealed regular approximately 7 nm separations between adjacent particles, consistent with the 42-amino acid helical design of the belt and braces. To our knowledge, belt and braces is a novel concept in leucine-zipper assembly and the first example of employing peptides to guide nanoparticle assembly.